the worlde to come To the tune of Beckinghams Galliarde YE sacred Nimphes of Hellicon By Ioues almight decree Vouchesafe once more to looke vpon This fourth solempnitie Caliope with thy christall voyce my Musicke adiuuate From ioyfull harte with ThaÌ„kfull mouth Christes birth to celebrate In tyme to watche in tyme to wake While candle lasts to come Vpon this theame I here doe make This admonition Tyme let vs spende well till the ende Of howre glasse bee out runne Liue here must wee in full pretence To giue no libertie To synne by will or negligence Our light to dampnifie As Alexander sometyme kyng of Macedonia lande Decreed in Courte a Candle should Bee light and burnyng stande And sent his Heralds to eche place And coaste where he bare swaie With trumpetts blast his will to blase To subiects all That thei Which had taÌ„nsgrest should come in prest To Courte without delaie If any subiecte had transgrest Gainst Alexander kyng Let hym appeare his case redrest Should bee in eche suche thyng So that before the kyng he came Whiles candle light did caste And if he tarried paste that tyme His labour was but waste And who soeuer had doen offence And came not in due tyme To hym plaine death for negligence The kyngs will did assigne Of better and wourse some had recourse Toth courte giltie of crime The storie telles a nomber greate Appearde before the kyng The Candle castyng light and heate Had pardon for eche thyng A nomber greate there were also To come at all refused On those the kyng the penaltie Without redemption vsed And some that while the Candle burnde In commyng staied so longe The Candle out that thei retournde With woe and wailyng songe We Christians here how to appere Eche one maie learne emong ¶ The Moraliziation CHriste is this Alexander Kyng That swaies the sacred sworde We subiectes his here all liuyng If wee doe feare this Lorde As he is fauourable and with Mercie full repleate So mercifull doeth he appeare To synners small and greate Not limityng a tyme onely Of life to mortall men But lends vs sacred lore whereby He maie our hartes lighten With Candle light of deuine might Let vs take due tyme then And let vs come when Christe doeth call While Candle light doeth last Then pardon we procure vs shall Before the tyme bee past So shall we blessed light enioye And Christes pardon aye And feare no worldly foes annoye That would seeke our decaie With humble faithfull Englishe harte To Christe praie we eche one Our roiall Queene for to imparte His blessed light vpon And vs to stande with lamps in hande By hym in ioyfull throne Finis ¶ The Argument Mannes life is likened to a continuall warfare and conflicte with Sathan The Serpente and the Tode fightyng together the Serpente beyng reserued by helpe of man sheweth exaÌ„ple of gratitude The Tode that sought the Serpentes destruction hath in fine his due guardon To the tune of Flearyng fancie syngyng the iiii and v. line of euery verse alike TO encrease in Christe our comfort still Reuailed vs by sondrie meanes Though scripture fraught with sacred skill Doe farre surmount all humane dreames â—mongst a sorte of pithie theames This prophane storie merits praise Christes coÌ„bate conquest which bewraies Caesar Augustus liuyng than A noble knight his subiect was â— valiaunt worthie gentleman Who ridyng once as he did passe A Forest through by happe alasse A Tode with Serpent fightyng sawe Eche others bloud deadly to drawe With tried force a tyme fought thei The Tode hauyng the masterie This gentle knight did straight assaie In Serpents quarell happe to trie Wounded the same Tode greuouslie But not without a mortall wounde Hym self escaped and fled the grounde The Serpent also thence did flee And when in place this worthie knight Alone thought beste his wounde to see From stately steede alacke did light His inwurde partes with poyson dight He founde where did encrease his greef And homewards rides to haue releef Where long tyme languishyng in paine So that his will and Testament For to bee made he did ordaine Prepared to dye incontinent Yet when as by the fire feruent For comfort further laied he was And that dispaire in hym had place Euen then beholde the Serpent late In whose defence this greef he cought Was entered in at this knights gate And seen by seruants straight thei sought To shewe their maister thinkyng nought Of suche a happe then did he will The Serpent should be brought hym till The knight when he the Serpent sawe The same it was did well agnise In whose defence through ouerthrawe Hym self to feight did enterprise Against the Tode though ieoperdies Of death thereby his life pursewed Yet as he was with witte endewed Commaunded all his seruaunts there That thei should not the Serpent noye Saiyng daunger none I feare He will me doe but rather ioye The Serpent then did hym employe In open presence them emong To sucke the poyson with his tong Whereof takyng sacietie Out of the house forthwith he ran And purged his stomacke presently Of poyson in hym taken than And to the wounde a freshe he came Sixe tymes by course till he did voide The poison suckt the knight emploide Hym self Milke to administrate Vnto the Serpent then beholde The Tode entered the knights gate Whiche late with poison deade and colde Did wounde this courteous knight so bolde In purpose came aduenged to bee Of knight and Serpent presently The knight when as he hereof hearde Vnto his seruaunts all did saie Sirs nought dismaie be not afearde This is the Tode without all naie Whom I did wounde this other daie In defence of this Serpent heare For whose sake eke my wounde I beare So that I will if this Serpent By any meanes my healthe restore He shall escape incontinent And if you loue my life therefore This Tode destroye withouten more The seruaunts hearyng what he saied With swordes staues on Tode then laied By meanes whereof the Tode thei kilde The Serpent hereat ioyfull was And thankfully his due fulfilde As gratefull and touchyng the case Tourned aboute his feete apace Where thus departyng this Serpent The knight was healed incontinent ¶ The Moralization THe morall hereof to define First the Emperour here comparde To our heauenlie Father we assigne The same of duetie best referde The Knight olso whereof you heard Our Sauiour Iesus Christe doeth meane The Tode declares Sathan certaine The Serpent man is termed well First for the poyson of his synne Next for the medicen to expell Poyson receiued hym self within As for Christes Image eke in hym For man against the Deuill ought feight To vanquishe hym by deuine sleight Because there is none other wight But thou oh Christe our Sauiour Whiche in defence of man doeth fight Against Sathan the Tode therefore When mankinde was through synne forlore Christe sought for vs against Sathan And in our right hym ouercame Albeit not in one place onely He
wounded was but sondrie greef As well in hym self feele did he As in his members greate mischieef He suffered doen for their relieefe Man if thou be thankfull therefore Haue Serpents helpe for him in store That is to saie thou oughtest vizite Christe in his members greeued here In pouertie or other plight Miserable if it appere Them to releeue as needes require And what thou so doest vnto them Take it for well rendred againe But if the Tode retourne doe make After firste sight harme to renewe In Christe to thee then courage take And seeke the meanes hym to subdewe Then certainly eche firme vertue In Baptisme firste receiued by thee Obserued shall bryng full remedie So shalt thou Sathan vanquishe quite And purchace peace perpetuall Of bodie and soule with Angells bright In perren ioyes celestiall Whiche to enioye God graunt vs all That after our combate yearthly here Conquerours with Christe we maie appere Finis The argument ¶ Mannes life is a waifaryng or trauillyng To finde forthe three felicities but in steade of gropyng for the sweete here we taste of the sower neither attaine wee our desired porte of rest in this life but in the worlde to come ¶ To the tune of the Sturdie rocke syngyng the iiii and v. line of euery verse alike REsigne now Muses all your mone To me amased sillie wight Which wanderyng long far haue gone Voide of releef rest and delight Doe comfort myne enfebled spirite Forced in verse to verifie No ioye on yearth of certaintie I reade Ganterus so by name Did wishe a place of endlesse ioye When on a daie to passe it came Earely to walke he did emploie And so farre went without anoie Till he entred a lande into Whose kyng deceast but lately tho It chaunced there after shorte tyme The Nobles had intelligence Of his manhoode and doe encline Their councells all with diligence Hym as their Prince of excellence To chuse in royall seate to raigne Whereat Ganterus ioyed certaine The night come on his seruaunts weight With due attendaunce in degree And brought hym to a chamber streight Where stoode a bedde bedect richely At the heade whereof he then did see A Lyon laied and at the foote A Dragon dreadfully whiche lookt Vpon the right side of that bed An vglie Beare was couched lowe And on the lefte side doune were laid Serpents and Todes in lothsome showe Hereat Ganterus masde would knowe Of those his seruaunts then present What by these strange beasts here was mēt Saiyng is this bed ordained me Yea soueraigne Lorde thei aunswerde so For tofore this our kynges truely Here lodged and died long agoe Deuoured by these beasts here loe Hereat Ganterus grudgyng saied This I mislike all ill apaied Your kyng will I not be therefore And so departed from that place Ariuyng to an other shore Where eke to rule he chosen was The night aprochte then in like case He was conducte to take his rest Where was a bed with sharpe swords drest Whereat he castyng vp his eyes Demaunded if he should lye there Yea Lorde eche seruaunt certefies Our kyngs in this bed lodged were ▪ Bereft and are of life so deare Saieth he all saue this likes me well Your kyng to be I list nought mell Yet tariyng in those coastes that night No soner was Aurora seene But he preparde in pensiue plight To leaue that lande and Lordship cleene And languishyng three daies in teene At length it was his lucke to spie An olde man in the waie to lye This olde man had in his right hande A staffe and seyng Ganterus come Required of hym to vnderstande Whence and whither he would in somme And who he was to giue reason I come from countrees farre saieth he My name Ganterus hight truely And whether saieth the olde man tho Doest thou intende to take thy waie Ganterus saied I must now go Three thynges to finde whiche I ne maie What three bee those tholde man can saie Ganterus aunswered his request Thus as to hym it seemed best The first abundaunce without want The seconde ioye without distresse The thirde is light not anoyant With ircksome and lothsome darknesse The olde man heard him thus expresse And saied my frende this staffe doe take By this waie straight thy iourney make Then shalt thou see before thy face A hill bothe tedious huge and highe Toth toppe whereof is a foote pace Whiche doeth contain vii steppes onely Vpon the same thy trauell trye And when toth toppe thou doest attaine Thou shalt beholde and see there plaine A Pallace princely edified There rest and ere thou further trie With staffe at gate three tymes aplied Doe knocke The Porter by and by Will aunswere thee and then pardie Shewe hym this staffe and saie to hym That I doe craue thyne enteraunce in And if he then graunt thee ingresse There shalt thou finde thy hartes desire Then Ganterus did so doubtlesse As he was willed of this olde sier And to the Porter commyng nier His staffe once seen receiued he was Where he found all thyngs brought to pas ¶ The Moralization EXplane now must the meanyng here Who this Ganterus called maie bee Eche Christian good maie well appere Like to Ganterus whiche simplie Despiseth worldly vanitie And is from tyme to tyme enclinde These three thyngs to seeke for and finde The firste aboundance as is saied Withouten want or penurie The seconde ioye nothyng delaied The thirde light from all darknesse free And these obtained can not bee But in the life of lastyng ioye Our toyle thereto we must imploye O man therefore like iourney make With Ganterus for three daies space By Praier first doe vndertake By Fastyng nexte this pilgremes race Thirdlie by Almose in any case These three daies trauell till thou come Vnto the first supposed Kyngdome Some mundaine ioyes there shalt thou finde And people thee to intertaine There worldly pleasures are enclinde To chuse thee as a prince to raigne Puffyng thy harte with pride annoyde But looke about thy chamber well There stands a bedde its death to tell This bed mans life is likened to Where in a short tyme he doeth lye Neare to whiche lurcks a Lyon lo Sathan gainst vs his force to trye A Dragon eke wee shall espye And by hym coucht an vgly Beare Whiche waite as death on vs echewhere Todes and Serpents there also are Thone showes mannes giltie conscience The other doeth his synnes declare To accuse and condempne negligence Of these hauyng intelligence Wee maie doe well quicke spede to make This worlde our Kyngdome to forsake Then come wee to the seconde lande Where carnall pleasures beare the swaie To whom consentyng out of hande Sonnes of perdition vs make thei Then to our chamber takyng our waie Let ts looke toth bed rhere shall we see The same euen hell it self to bee The sharpe swordes there doe represent For carelesse gluttons carle preparde Who tastes in hell endlesse torment To late repentyng afterwarde The handlyng of poore Christe
the sleight that longs thereto On warblyng Harpe to plaie adrest The fishes friskyng to and fro Vpon the baite them selues will rest And when thou feelest them feede on faste Drawe vp the fishe on lande them caste So shalt thou hereby frustrate quite This subtill charmer of his praie If thou demainest thee thus a right Confused he shall walke his waie The Harper did this hest fulfill And fecht vp fishe euen at his will A meanyng hereof Morall wise My muse in modest maner showe Who this Tiberus Emperour is The Riuer and Harper also With Fishe and Charmer who thei be Discribed in auncient historie ¶ The Moralization CHriste to Tiberius is comparde Which loueth to heare the melodâ—â— â–ª Of praier vnto hym prefarde And doeth delite huntyng to bee To saue the soule by Sathan sought His spoyle to make and bryng to nought This Riuer with the Fishe therein Resembled are the Worlde vnto And people fraught with odious synne The poore man plaiyng there also â—che Preacher is with sacred lore That drawes vp fishe to heauenly shore But then a Charmer steppeth there The Preachers harpe which doth disturbâ— In triple trade doeth he appere To caste the soules in slepe absurde And whom to sleepe he can not win As Ianglers vaine he hems them in And if he make no Ianglers vaine Enuie in hym yet vigor hath To lure these soules for to abstaine And quite forsake the perfecte path That either thei become abiecte Or neuer the wiser in effecte Wherefore needes must the golden hooke Bee had of euery Preacher here â—or Goddes deuine grace must thei looke That thei maie fishe in faithe and feare â—uche comfortable noyse to make Bothe Charmer and the fishe to take Where sith in faithe we Christe professe God graunt we thereof frutes maie giue With praier to hym and neuer cease Elizabeth our Queene long liue Vs to protecte by grace deuine And gaine celestiall ioyes in fine Finis ¶ The Argument ¶ Amongst the children of this worlde all are not of one seede and generation and therefore puttyng apart the bondwoman and her children from the freewoman and her issue thei are to be reputed accordyngly To the tune of Sondaie Mornyng APollo with thy sacred lore My sclender skill and penne direct The birthe of Christe still to adore With solempne sacred songe select Dame Pallas with thy Nimphes be preste To further this my thirde requeste A noble kyng sometymes did raigne With witte and wealthe endued was he A Queene he had with whom certaine He liude a tyme though vicious shee Three sonnes by straunge seede procreate Digressyng had base borne by kynde On her the fourth sonne he begate More greater comfort to his mynde It chaunced that when Atrapos Of fatall life bereft this Kyng The Queene with her sonnes did dispose The funeralles accomplishyng In yearth with pompe the corps to laye With stately tombe enshrinde for aye Whiche doen beholde within short space These sonnes emong them did contende Who should succede in fathers place In fine yet did thei condiscende Vnto an auncient knight to goe Whiche Secretarie was of late To the dead Kyng and hym thei doe Commit their case to arbitrate The knight when he with pacience heard Them and their case considered well To them he thus his mynde declared My Lordes doe yeelde to my councell Your purpose then shall well proceed This saied thei hereunto agreed My sentence so assigne you shall The buried corps againe vp take â—nd that you gree emongst you all Your bowes and shaftes prepard do make To shoote thereat incontinent And who so pearceth deepest in The same I deeme by myne assent Bothe regal croune and realme shall win All fowre sonnes hereto did agree The buried corps and take from ground Thei binde it faste vnto a tree Eche one to giue his deepest wounde The first the kyngs right hande did hitte Wherefore it was awarded fitte That he as onely heire and Lorde Of Fathers lande proclaimed should bee The secondes shafte with fleshe begorde Through fathers mouthe did perce truly â–ª Wherefore to haue the soueraigne swaie And cheef rule of his Fathers lande More certainly he ought thei saie Of twaine the firmer lot to stande The thirde his harte did penitrate By reason whereof thought it was That he without strife or debate Should cheefly rule in Fathers place But when the fourth sonne should prepare To shoote he shrikte with wofull care Criyng alacke this lucklesse daie I doe lament heare thus to see Thy corps oh Father can he saie Of thy sonnes wounded now to bee The Goddes defende that liue or deade My Fathers corps I perishe should This saied hym in his Fathers steade To raigne as Kyng the nobles would The other three sonnes were dismist From all and euery rule or swaie My muse no longer now desist The Morall hereof to displaie â—his Kyng wise noble and wealthie To Iesus Christe compared maie bee â—hiche did mankinde his spouse ordaine But she in tyme did violate â—he sacred bedde with whoredomes staine After straunge Goddes a miscreate â—onceiued and brought forthe sonnes three Pagants Iues and Papiste secte â—hereof the first did wounde truely The Kinges right hande with shaft infecte â—heÌ„ thei Christes doctrine whiche doth sit At right hande of his Father deare â—â—d quite forsake his seruaunts smite With sondrie woundes vpon yearth heare As persecutyng Pagans fell Enemies to Christe and his Gospell The seconde sonne eke putatiue The Kyng of Kynges more deepely perst When as the Iewes to hym did giue Vineger and Gall to quenche his thirst The thirde moste wicked sonne of three With poysoned shafte did nothyng spare To wound Christes harte the King most hie The Papists doe this sonne declare While thei doe striue with might and maine Christes faithfull flocke on yearth to quell Which should one corps and soule containe In frutes in frutes of the Gospell How haue thei whet their arrowes sharpe To pearce Christes his members harte The fourthe sonne now define I thus That wailde and would not shoote at all Because he sawe so mischeuous Pretence of sonnes vnnaturall Eche Christian true the fourth sonne is Whiche feareth God and would none ill If he doe ill to sacrifise In righteousnesse he hath good will. Suche a one my songe doeth signifie In sacred throne celestiall Shall raigne with Christe in Maiestie At the laste daie Iudiciall For whiche in faithe and feare let ts praie That Christe from ill preserue vs maie And as we subiectes all are bounde For our noble Queene Elizabeth Our praiers to God with ioyfull sounde Let vs directe in health and wealth That it would please the Kyng of Kynges Christe our anker marke and staye Her to preserue in all good thyngs And prosper vs her subiectes aye â–ª Finis The Argument ¶ The life present procureth either fauour and grace at the handes of God if we retourne in tyme either els neglectyng tyme purchaseth vs his heauie indingnation bothe now and in