LIBRARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 University of California. 
 
 Class 
 
 
 
 
 
MISCELLANIES 
 
 OF 
 
 ^lie Jullcc Sttorthics' pbrarj). 
 
 SONGS OF SION 
 
 DR. WILLIAM LOE, 
 
 (1620) i 
 
 (tbitrir, foitlr ^Vemcrnal-gutroirHrtioir imir ftotcs, 
 
 BY THE 
 
 BEY. ALEXANDER B. GEOSAUT, 
 
 ST. GEORGE'S, BLACKBUEX, LANCASHIRE. 
 
 PRINTED FOR PRIVATE CIRCULATION. 
 1870. 
 
^ OF THE \ 
 
 UNIVERSITY " 
 
 OF 
 ^LIFORN^s 
 
 ittcmorial-Introlmction. 
 
 ELL-NIGH every-body I should suppose, 
 has heard in one way or another, the 
 ££*! pulpit-story of two clergymen preaching 
 in the same church on the same day and as candi- 
 dates for the same post, their names being res- 
 pectively 'Adam'' or Adams and ' Loe\ The 
 latter as the story runs, preached in the morning 
 and took for text — with a tacit gibe at his 
 annnounced successor, ' Adam ! where art thou ? '. 
 The former, not to be outdone, responded in the 
 afternoon, with kindred name-play, ' Lo ! here 
 am I '. Who the ' Adam ' was, (or Adams : for 
 it is sometimes the one spelling and sometimes the 
 other) tradition hath forgotten. It might have 
 been (if chronology agreed) quaint and audacious- 
 witted Thomas Adams of the immortal ' Sermons ' : 
 (not the later Adam of the " Private Thoughts ".) 
 Lysons says the ' Loe ' was our present Worthy, 
 giving as his authoiity a tractate yclept " Perfect 
 Passages" dated Kith April, 1645 — diligently 
 a 447 
 
 LSI 
 
 MA'aJ 
 
 a nonr 5 « 
 
MEMORIAL- IN'J RODUCTION. 
 
 but fruitlessly sought for'byme. 1 Thomas Fuller 
 or Edward Boteler or William Worship, never 
 would have hesitated to make the jest, meaning 
 uo harm : and the impression made on myself by 
 the books and single ' Sermons ' of our Loe, is 
 that he was of much the same make of intellect 
 and temperament with these, and perhaps a dash 
 of South. So that we may accept the long-told, 
 variously-fathered anecdote, as really belonging 
 to him in his younger days. From some ultra- 
 serious folks the story may fetch a groan, even the 
 anathema of ' profane ' : but it was'nt so, only o' the 
 ageirrepressibility of a nimble wit. Then what saith 
 Sir Toby? "Dost thou think, because thou art 
 virtuous, there shall be no more cakes and ale" ? 
 (Twelfth Night, ii. 3) or to paraphrase it, ' Be- 
 cause thou knowest not the bewitchment and in- 
 evitableness of a pun, is thy genial brother to be 
 mis-judged?'. Enter right welcome, then, Dr. 
 William Loe, with a smile i' thy face and mirth on 
 thy lips. None the less a true and good and 
 ' serious ' man that thou didst ' dearly love thy 
 jest '. 
 
 The name is spelled by himself ' Loe ' and 
 ' Leo ' : for there is no doubt that Anthony-a- 
 Wood is correct, in regarding the two as one, in 
 
 Lyson's Environs of London (1st edn.) Vol. I. p 293. 
 
MKMOKlAL-IN'TKom CTIOX. Z 
 
 the places of their occurring. Twice at least it 
 is given as ' Leo ' viz : (a) in the Funeral-sermon 
 — a remarkable one on a remarkable man— of Dr. 
 Daniel Featley (I 645) and the further designation 
 "sometimes (= sometime) Preacher at Wands- 
 worth in Surrey " (b) in his signature while 
 Prebendary of Gloucester to certain "chapter- 
 acts ". From other sources we know — as will 
 appear in the sequel— our Loe to have been 
 "Preacher at Wandsworth" and "Prebendary 
 at Gloucester ". Hence the identification is 
 certain. His friend Featley had the alias of 
 'Fairclough ' in like manner. 1 
 
 I have not been able to trace either birth-place 
 or birth-date of our " sweet Singer " and Divine. 
 Probably he was of Kent : for in his Featley ' ser- 
 mon ', incidentally naming a ' knight ' (Sir 
 George Sands) of the county, he speak 5 of him as 
 'my countryman of Kent' (p. 24). The Fasti 
 Oxonienses (edn. by Bliss I. 275, 285, 335, 381, 
 382) supplies the data of his University career 
 at Oxford : 
 
 1 The funeral-sermon is full of anecdote of rare value 
 to a biographer of Featley : and besides, Loe has various 
 allusions to his own travels and experiences : and lovingly 
 names his own son William as of Trinity College, Cam- 
 bridge. See page 23 of this Sermon. 
 448 
 
MEMORIAL-INTKODUCTIOX. 
 
 Among B. A's, 5th Novr. 1597 : " Will. Loe of 
 
 St. Alb. Hall. 
 Among M. A's, 14th June 1600: ibid. ibid. 
 Among B. D's, 22, Feby. 1609-1610 "Will. 
 Loe of St. Alb. Hall did supplicate for the 
 same degree, but whether he was admitted, 
 appears not ". 
 Among B. D's, 8th June 1618: ' Will. Loe of 
 
 Mert. Coll. sometimes of St. Alban's Hall. 
 Among D. D's 8th June 1618 : ' Will. Loe of 
 Mert. Coll. a compounder and an accumu- 
 lator.' 
 When he took his degree of M. A., Anthoxy-a- 
 Wood in his Athena Oxonienses (edition by Bliss, 
 III., 183-4) states that " he was much in esteem 
 for Latin, Greek, and human learning." This 
 was (as supra) in 1600. s In the same year he 
 must have been Yicar of Churcham, Gloucester : 
 for in its Parish-Register as still preserved, I find 
 from the present Vicar (Rev. George C. Hall, 
 M. A.,) record is made that Dr. Loe transcribed 
 the entries "ex veteri libro cartaceo " in the 
 42nd year of Elizabeth, id est, 1600. Under 1593 
 there is in his handwriting a note " Finis veteris 
 libri cartacei " : but the ' Fasti ' degree-dates 
 seem to shew that he could not have been so early 
 in orders as 1594. Therefore the meaning must 
 
MEMORIAL-INTRODUCTION. <i 
 
 be that an ancient Register was transcribed by him 
 that ended in 1593, while the genuine one com- 
 menced from 1594. "Soon after", (1600) he 
 was made Master of the College School in Glou- 
 cester: and was instituted "on the 30th Sep- 
 tember, 1602 " Prebendary of Gloucester [Cathe- 
 dral 5th Stall]. He was sub-dean in 1605. 
 Probably these offices were held simultaneously 
 as not very onerous pluralities. 1 The Churcham 
 Register further informs us, that he was married 
 while in possession of that ' liviug ', as under 
 1612 we read: "Sept, 27th, Hester the daugh- 
 ter of William Loe, Vicar, was baptised." 2 The 
 absence of signatures to the successive annual 
 entries prevents our determining the period of 
 his incumbency. Not until 1633 does a signa- 
 ture appear, that of Francis Hathway — another 
 form of the maiden name of Mrs. "William Shake- 
 speare — by which date Loe was most certainly 
 elsewhere. 3 The 'College School' of Gloucester has 
 been very neglectful of its history, as have also been 
 
 1 Consult Fosbrooke, and also Rudder's History of 
 Gloucester, (p. 169). 
 
 2 Rev. Samuel Lysons, F. S. A., of Hampstead Court, 
 in a letter to me, from Archdeacon Furney's MSS. in his 
 possession. 
 
 3 1 have very cordially to thank the Rev. George C. 
 
 ii'J 
 
Mi:M<>KIAI.-IUTRODVCT]OX. 
 
 the county Historians. There is a tantalizing ab- 
 sence of dates : indeed the Records do not go beyond 
 the Restoration of Charles II. "Wood mentions 
 that John Langley succeeded our ' Master ' but 
 not the years of either, while Fosbrooke gives 
 two Masters between Loe and Langley, viz., 
 Thomas Potter (1605) and John Clark (1612). » 
 It needed a man of brain to be ' Master ' of such 
 a School as that of Gloucester: and it were 
 interesting to know the more famous ' boys ' of it. 
 When will our county-Historians understand, that 
 these are the kind of facts that are of substantive 
 and abiding value, — not mere ' endless genealogies' 
 of noble-ignoble nonentities, — pyramid- wise, all 
 
 Hall, M. A., of Ckurcham, foi\ his great kindness in 
 answering my enquiries. 
 
 1 I must, as in last note, equally thank Dr Wash- 
 boume of Gloucester and Rev. Samuel Lysons, as ahove, 
 for their like interest and attention. The latter writes me 
 " Fosbrooke does not give the date of Loe's appointment 
 to the Cathedral School, but places him between Elias 
 Wrench who was appointed in 1588, and Thomas Potter 
 who was appointed in 1605." Perhaps when appointed 
 sub-dean in 1005 Loe resigned his Mastership. See above 
 and onward where in the "Merchant Reall " he says un- 
 der date 1619-20, that he had been "one of the masters 
 seventeene yeares ". This goes back to 1602-3. 
 
MEMORIAL-INTRODUCTION. 4 
 
 too" often, broad-based and a 'mere point' at last. 
 Probably the central thing of our Worthy's life 
 took place'in 1618, in which year the Cathedral- 
 Records tell'us, he obtained a " testimonial from 
 the Chapter to become Pastor of the English 
 Church [at Hamburgh " or as it was spelled 
 ' Hamborough \ Tins at once links him to the 
 subject-matter of our reprint, the " Songs of 
 Sion " — the manifold dedications of which keep 
 before us the fact that he was the ' Minister' of 
 the ' Merchant-adventurers ' of the once and still 
 renowned city. From the Introduction to an 
 exceedingly rare if not uniquely-preserved copy of 
 a book of his, the ' Merchant reall ", now in the 
 Public Library of Hamburg, we learn that he 
 let a year and a half pass before he decided to 
 accept the post. These are his words : " I de- 
 murred after mine election, a whole yeare and a 
 halfe, and begged of God to resolve me touching 
 my coming unto you". He seems to have been 
 unwilling to leave England : for he continues as 
 follows : " and now being come, I doe protest in 
 the sight of God and His holy angells, that I come 
 not unto you with any Italianated hart of im- 
 peccability that cannot be appeased, nor with 
 any Hispanialized hart of Iesuited novelty, nor 
 with a Frenchified hart of singula] itie, nor yet 
 450 
 
MEMORIAL-INTRODUCTION. 
 
 with a Dutehified hart of neutrality (all which 
 I speake not as of any nationall disgrace, for the 
 finest camhrick may have many fretts and frayes) 
 but I am come with a good and an honest Englishe 
 hart of orthodox and catholike sincerity." At this 
 time (1620) 1 the same introduction informs us, he 
 had been "22 years a member of the English 
 church, and 17 years a teacher in the school". 
 This is in harmony with the Parish register of 
 Churcham by which we dated his appointment 
 there, 1600 or thereby. 2 
 
 The Merchant-adventurers of England to whom 
 Loe acted as chaplain, were an important company. 
 Previously to 1618 they moved about a good deal, 
 according as the ' markets ' for their imports and 
 exports led them. Thus they are found at Embden, 
 Middleburgh, Stade, and elsdwhere. The second 
 place ' Middleborough ' will remind the bookish 
 reader of a number of quaint old title-pages 
 bearing quaint old Puritan names, and of certain 
 bibliographical rarities that freely fetch weight 
 for weight in gold, as Sir John Da vies' Epigrams 
 in association with Marlowe's Ovid's ' Elegies'. 
 It will also recall silver-tongued Joshua Sylvester 
 
 1 Dr. Klose seems to misdate from 1618. 
 
 1 See Note at end of this Memorial-Introduction. 
 
MEMORIAL-INTRODUCTION. i> 
 
 — agent of the ' Merchant-adventurers ' there — 
 
 who by the way inscribes his " Tobacco Battered " 
 to our Loe, in the following Sonnet : 
 
 "To my reverend and worthy friend, Mr. William Loe, 
 Batchelorof Divinity. 
 Lo, what you love and this chimera's hate, 
 
 Care of my friends, compassion of my kin ; 
 
 Zeal of God*s glory, horror of this sin ; 
 
 Sly soveraign's service, honour of our State: 
 Lo, what all these had pow'r to propagate ! 
 
 (Perhaps more hardy then my hope had bin, 
 
 When first this theam you gave me to begin) 
 
 Resides my way, beyond my waining date. 
 Lo, therefore, whether well or ill I fare; 
 
 Whether the doubtfull field I win or lose ; 
 
 In fame, or shame, you needs must have a share, 
 "Who on my weakness did this weight impose. 
 
 Like Moses therefore lift your hands on hie, 
 
 That Joxhuah's hand may have the victory." 
 
 (Works, 1641, p. 572). 
 
 Iu 1618 the Hamburg authorities arranged for 
 the Association settling permanently in their city. 
 A contract was entered into and ' incorporation, 
 given. Ltxgard, of all our English historians,. 
 slightly notices these ' Merchant-adventurers'. It 
 were surely worth-while for some Englishman to 
 get at the facts of these pioneers of England's 
 now world-embracing commerce. 
 451 
 
MEMORIAL-INTRODUCTION. 
 
 One of the title-pages bears the date ' 1620 ' : 
 so that he was not long in 'imping his wing ' 
 for a poetic flight. The Epistles-Dedicatory bear 
 ■witness to the warm, mutual respect of the 
 ' Merchant - adventurers ' and their Chaplain. 
 There were evidently among them ' gentle ' 
 men, in the real and not merely titular sense. 
 These Epistles also reveal a fine fervour of con- 
 cern for the spiritual welfare of his ' dear Masters ' 
 and 'table-fellows '. 
 
 How long he remained in Hamburg, I have 
 failed to ascertain: but the probability is, — though 
 the many dedications of the " Songs of Sion " 
 give no hint of intended departure, — that he did 
 not remain very many years subsequent to 1620. 
 
 From Tyson's Environs of London 1 , under 
 ' Putney ', there is a note of ' William Leo 
 as 'curate' and Preacher in 1624; in which 
 year his signature occurs as "Preacher at 
 Putney". This Leo is identified as Wood and 
 ourselves do, with Loe. Perhaps his Hamburg- 
 residence made him uncertain in his orthog- 
 raphy, seeing that Lowe in German means 
 a Lion i. e. Leo and Loe are just an abbrevi- 
 
 1 Vol. I. p 416 : same authority ami reference for our 
 opening anecdote. 
 
MEMORIAL-IN rRODTTCTION. 6 
 
 ation of Lowe. One of the sermon-hooks already 
 quoted from, is dedicated •' to the right Worship- 
 full S r Thomas Lowe, Knight, Governour," as 
 well as to " the Deputies, assistants and General- 
 tie, of that auncient, much famous, and most 
 worthy companie of Merchants Adventurers, resi- 
 ding at London, Hamborough, Middleborough, 
 &c. &c. There is no claim of relationship made. 
 Let name-enquirers follow up the clue presented. 1 
 Besides Putney, as we saw, the Funeral-sermon 
 for Featley, bears that the Preacher was 'sometime' 
 of " Wandsworth in Surrey ". I have had most 
 willing helpers there, in the excellent present 
 Incumbent and other friends 2 : but the result of 
 long-continued researches is provokingly meagre. 
 Nevertheless the dates are of importance, albeit 
 they merely authenticate the Incumbency and 
 shew descendants afterwards. At the foot of the 
 page erdiag 5th March 1636, under Marriages, in 
 Parish Register, there are certain signatures viz : 
 "Wm. Leo, Tho. Ballard, Willi. Ashenden ", the 
 
 1 In the Wandsworth Registers, there is a baptism of 
 a Thomas Low<?& daughter Eebecca : 13th. June 1645, 
 
 2 I must name Dr. J. T. Harris of Englefield Green, 
 Staines, and the Parish-Clerk of Wandsworth, Mr.Willson, 
 —the latter an intelligent and antiquarianly dis 
 custodier of the Registers. 
 
 452 
 
MEMORIAL- INTBODTJCTIONT. 
 
 first no doubt the Vicar, the other Churchwardens. 
 The same signatures re-appear in the register of 
 liaptisnis of July, 1636, to November, 1638, with 
 the substitution of Blagrave for Ballard on two 
 occasions. The same also in the Burials from 
 April 1636 to October, 1638. Further: as in the 
 Register of Burials there is an entry of the inter- 
 ment of " Mr. Robert Allen, vicar of Wandsworth " 
 on 16th June 1631, our Loe probably succeeded 
 him. Under baptisms 1 6th September 164 6 is en- 
 tered, "Isaack, the sonne of Isaack Loe". Another 
 Yicar, " Mr. Hugh Roberts " had a sou John 
 baptized 2d jNTovr. 1645. Probably he succeeded 
 Loe : and probably Loe held the ' living ' until 
 his death in 164a, though he seems to have been 
 resident in the City (of London). As " Preacher " 
 at Putney and as having been appointed " Chap- 
 lain to the King"— poor reward of a long-tried 
 loyalty in ' evil days ' (to him) — he would require 
 to ' abide ' in the Metropolis. There at last, in 
 all likelihood in a ripe old age, he died and was 
 buried, in no less sacred a sleeping-place than 
 Westminster. Wood was ignorant of his death- 
 date : John Walker in his famous (or infa- 
 mous) " Sufferings of the Clergy" names 1648, 
 and so Fosbrooke and others. But inasmuch as 
 Roberts was Yicar at Wandsworth at close of 
 
MEMORIAL-INTRODUCTION. 7 
 
 1645, I had assigned that year for his death 
 independent of an interesting discovery of my 
 friend Colonel Chester — one of many tid-bits that 
 have turned up in the course of his unexampled 
 persistency of research among our national 
 Eegisters I will allow him to put the matter 
 before the Eeader as he has done in a letter to 
 myself, as follows : " One of the most perplexing 
 entries I found in the Westminster Abbey lleg- 
 isters was this burial " 1645 . Sept. 21. Dr. 
 Lee. — in the South side of the Church, near the 
 Vestry door." I could find nothing of this Dr. 
 Lee. There was no monument and no inscription 
 recorded in any of the printed books. All the 
 Doctors Lee, whether of Law, Medicine or 
 Theology or even Music that I could trace, died 
 either before or after that date. And I could find 
 no Will of a Dr. Lee. The man haunted me from 
 December 1866 down to last Spring, when after a 
 great deal of trouble, I got hold of the Wills and 
 Administrations of the Dean and Chapter of West- 
 minster, which had been hid away for a century 
 in a lawyer's office in Doctors Commons, and at 
 last was claimed by and taken to the principal 
 Registry of Probate. Among these, to my great 
 joy, I found that on the 13th of November, 1645, 
 letters of Administration were granted by the 
 453 
 
8 MFMORIAL-INTKODUCTIOX. 
 
 Dean and Chapter on the Estate of " William 
 Leo, alias Lee, S.T.P. "late of the city of West- 
 minster, to Elizabeth Basset, a creditor." The 
 information was meagre enough : hut here was 
 clearly my troublesome 'Dr. Loe'". I do not 
 think there can be any doubt as to the identity ; 
 and the explanation of the later date given by Wal- 
 ker of the " Sufferings" — a book that swarms with 
 blunders intentional and inadvertent — Le Neve in 
 his " Fasti", and similar authorities, is, that they 
 inferred the death-date from the accession of the 
 new incumbent to his stall : whereas the ' troubles ' 
 of the period kept it vacant for some years. 
 
 We have found that at Churcham Loe had a 
 daughter baptized ' Hester '. We know not his 
 wife's name or lamily. He had at least one other 
 child, a son, who bore his own name and who ap- 
 pears to have passed a brilliant University career, 
 being of renowned 'Trinity College, Cambridge', 
 not of Oxford Ike his father. In the Funeral- 
 sermon on Featley preached under the shadow of 
 his own near-coming death, Dr. Loe makes loving 
 mention of this son William : and the paternal 
 regard must have been reciprocated filially : for 
 in an exquisite specimen of penmanship (were it 
 no more it should be a literary gem) I happen to 
 possess, viz, a small MS. volume, antiquely bound, 
 454 
 
consisting of 'readings' in Plautus and other of 
 
 the classics, together with at least one somewhat 
 striking original (Latin) poem that I shall 
 include as a parrallel in my edition of Richaxd 
 
 Ckamiaw, there is prefixed a very long and 
 glowing Epistle-dedicatory, to his father. In this 
 the language labours in setting forth his worth 
 and genius and among many other things, his 
 'poetic' fame. Tt is scarcely worth-while tran- 
 slating this (Latin) Epistle: but as Loe jr. was 
 a son of ' Trinity ' I intend placing the M.S. under 
 the custody of my friend Mr. W. Aldis Wright, 
 Librarian of Trinity College, that it may be ac- 
 cessible to inquirers. The son not the father, was 
 author of the sets of Latin verses contained in the 
 '• Carmen Natalitium ad cunas illustrissimae Prin- 
 cipis Elizabethan decantatum intra Navitatis Dom. 
 solennia per humiles Cantabrigian Musas " (1635). 1 
 
 1 Colonel Chester sends me the following extract from 
 the Parish Registers of St. Martins in the Fields : Marr- 
 iage 5 June 1642: William Loe and Margaret Shipton, 
 Loth of Westminster ". Probably Loe filim. Further he 
 -writes "in the cloisters of Westminster Abbey was buried 
 1 Mch. 1676-7, according to the Register " Colonel Her- 
 cules Lowe" who in an unofficial Register kept by one 
 of the Minor Canons, usually more correct than the early 
 
10 MEMOJRIAL-INTRODUCTION. 
 
 As a contribution to Bibliography I have now 
 to furnish a full and probably complete list of the 
 Writings of our Worthy in chronological order. 
 
 1 . The Ioy of Ierusalem and Woe of Worldings. 
 A Sermon preached at Paul's Crosse the 18 of Iune 
 1609. By William Loe, Batchelour of Diuinity, 
 and Prebendarie of the Cathedral Church of 
 Glocester. London, printed by T. Haueland for 
 C. Knight and I. Harrison, aud are to be sold in 
 Pauls Churchyard at the signe of the holy Lambc. 
 1609. [sq. 18mo.] Collation: Title-page, Epis- 
 tle-dedicatory 2 leaves — Sermon 63 leaves. [Text 
 St. John, xvii. 9.] 
 
 2. Come and See, The Blisse of Brightest 
 Beavtie, Shining ovt of Sion in Perfect Glorie. 
 Being the Summe of foure Sermons preached in the 
 Cathedrall Church of Glocester at commandment 
 of Superiours. By William Loe. Imprinted at 
 London by Richard Field and Matthew Law. 
 1614 [4to.] \* The Epistle-dedicatory is dated 
 "The Colledge of Glow. Febru. 20. 1611". 
 Wood misreads " The Bible the brighest beauty 
 &c. and whereas it is ' William Loe ' simply, by 
 
 official Register, is given as " Hercules Loe '". It is pos- 
 sible that this may have been of our Loe's line : hut no- 
 thing seems known of him. 
 
 4.56 
 

 MLEMOKIAL-INTKODTTCIION. 1 1 
 
 adding " D in divinity, sometime preacher at 
 Wandsworth in Surrey" the foot-note from 
 Wanley, throws the whole chronology of the Life 
 into confusion, as I found on searching at "Wands- 
 worth from 1614 onward, instead of the later 
 date of the incumhency. I had not seen " Come 
 and See " at the time, and it is plain Wood had 
 not, and also that Wauley confounded it with the 
 funeral-sermon for Featley. 
 
 3. The Mysterie of Mankind, Made into 
 a Manual, or the Protestants Portuize [= Breviary] 
 reduced into Explication, Application, Invocation, 
 tending to Illumination, Sanctification, Devotion, 
 being the sum of seven Sermons. Preached at 
 S. Michaels in Cornehill, London, by William 
 Loc, Doctor of Divinity, Chaplain to his sacred 
 Majesty, and Pastor Elect, and allowed by author- 
 ity of Superiours, of the English Church at 
 Hamborough in Saxonie. 1 Cor 3. 23. All are 
 yours and yee Christ's, and Christ God's. Lon- 
 don, Printed by Bernard Alsop for George Fayer- 
 heavd, and are to be sold at his shoppe at the 
 South side of the Exchnnge. 1619 [12mo] 
 Collation: Title-page — 299 numbered pages, 49 
 unnumbered, a blank page, a page of errata, and 
 five blank leaves. 
 
 4. The Merchant reall, Preached by William 
 b 457 
 
12 MEMORIAL-INTRODUCTION. 
 
 iam Loe, Doctour of Divinitie, Chaplain of the 
 King's sacred majestie, andPastour of the English 
 church of Merchants-Adventurers residing at 
 Hamhorough in Saxonie. Matth. 16, 26. What 
 is a man profited if he shall purchase the whole 
 world and lose his owne soule ? or what shall a 
 man give in exchange for his soule ? Printed at 
 Hamhorough by Paule Lang, Ann. Domini, 1620. 
 [4to] Collation : Title-page — 6 unnumbered and 
 106 numbered pages. 
 
 5. The Songs of Sion : See our present re- 
 print, for general title-page and separate titles. 
 
 6. Yox Clamantis : a still voice to the three 
 thrice honourable estates of Parliament : and in 
 them to all the soules of this our Nation, of what 
 state or condition soever they be. By William 
 Loe, Doctor of Divinitie, and chaplaine to the 
 king's most excellent Majestie. Printed by T. S. 
 for John Teage, and are to be sold at the signe of 
 the Golden Ball in Paul's Churchyard. [4to.] 
 
 7. A Sermon on Psalm xlv., 3., preached 
 at Whitehall, with a dedication to the King. 
 1622. [4to.] \* I find a note of this in my 
 memoranda, but have mislaid the full title-page. 
 
 8. The King's Shoe Made and Ordained to 
 trample and to treade downe Edomites : to teach 
 in briefe, what is Edom's doome ; what the care- 
 
MEMORIAX-INTEODrCTION. 
 
 13 
 
 full condition of a King; what the loyal] 
 submission of a snbiect, and what proiects are 
 onely to best purpose. Deliuered in a Sermon 
 before the King at Theobalds, October the ninth, 
 1622. By "William Loc, Doctour of Diuiuity, 
 Chaplaine to his sacred majesty in ordinary. 
 London, 1623. [4to]. Collation: Title-page— 
 Epistle-dedicatory 3 leaves and pp. 45. [Text 
 Psalm lx, 8]. 
 
 9. A Sermon preached at Lambeth, Apr. 
 21, 1645 at the Funerall of that learned and 
 polemical Divine, Dan. Featley, Doctor in Divin- 
 ity, late preacher there : with a short relation of 
 his Life and Death, by William Leo, Doctor 
 in Divinity, sometime Preacher at Wandesworth 
 in Surrey. Lond. Printed for Richard Eoyston, 
 dwelling in Ivie-lane, 1645. [4to] 
 V" Prefixed is a singular copper-plate engraving 
 of Dr. Featley in his shroud, his noble face bare. 
 2 pp latin verse and pp 32. 
 
 The first of this List " The Ioy of Ierusalem " 
 has escaped all our bibliograpical authorities, 
 inclnding even the omniverous Anthony a- Wood. 
 As the text prepares us to expect, it is an exposi- 
 tion of the crown of all Prayers, recorded in the 
 17th chapter of St. John: and a somewhat 
 startling request is made as to the time intended 
 459 
 
14 MKMOKl il.-ivi ROD1 
 
 to be occupied. Speaking of The Lord's praying, 
 the Preacher says " whereunto I earnestly desire 
 yon to attend as to one of the Songs of Sion and 
 the ioy of Ierusalem : and therein I shall pray 
 you to watch and wait the first houre, to the ioy 
 of your hearts, who truely seeke and serue the 
 Lord. As for the second houre, the woe of the 
 worldlings— His not praying [ ' I pray not for 
 them'] shall be denounced, that all flesh may 
 tremble and all people perceive the glorious 
 salvation of our God." 'Two hours' preaching 
 tch ! Yet judging from the little book 
 nobly were they occupied. Our modern audiences 
 have too queasy stomachs to digest such ' strong 
 meat '. I cull two small morsels from this sermon 
 worthy of its renowned pulpit — " What was 
 propositum in God the Father is depositum in 
 Jesus Christ the Son and repositum in expectation 
 of the faithfull" (2 Timothy iv. 8.). Then 
 worked out from a "Father, this thought seems to- 
 me to lift off the ultra-Calvinistic horror thrown 
 over the words ' I pray not tor the world ' — 
 ' Here He prays for His friends not naming His ene- 
 mies : at tr a Cross He prayed for His enemies not 
 naming His friends.' There surely we have a gol- 
 den ray shot direct from the Sun of Righteousness. 
 The 4to ' The Merchant reall ' Anthony a- Wood 
 460 
 
MEMOB.TAL-INTRODUCTION. 1 ,"» 
 
 states lie had never seen, and 1 do not know of a 
 single copy in any public or private Library of 
 our own Country. I have been fortunate e 
 to trace it to the Public Library of Hamburg; 
 where it is regarded as one of the rarities of a 
 Library holding many treasures. The ' Merchant 
 Reall ' forms the text of an exceedingly interesting 
 Paper on Loe by Dr. C. P. W. Klose, Secretary 
 to the Public Library, Hamburg, which appeared 
 in "jN t o. 14: July 31st, of the Serapeum " a 
 literary journal published and still publishing at 
 Leipzig. Dr. Klose adds nothing, unfortunately, 
 to the biography of our Worthy, though surely 
 research in the archives of the city should have 
 yielded new materials elucidative and illustrative 
 of the " Merchant-adventurers"— but I have to 
 thank him for leading me to a knowledge of (ap- 
 parently) the one surviving exemplar of a valuable 
 book. To the prompt courtesy of a successor of 
 Dr. Loe— the present British Chaplain of Ham- 
 burg, the Rev. C. F. Weidemann, M.A. — I am 
 indebted for copious extracts from the " Merchant 
 Reall "' and from No 3, the " My sterie of Man- 
 kind " — the Bodleian ropy of which is unique in 
 England. 
 
 I have already given the ' greeting ' of the 
 Epistle-dedicatory of the " Merchant-reall ". The 
 
 4(.il 
 
1 6 MEMOEIAL-INTEODtrCTION . 
 
 Epistle itself explains the title and furnishes 
 certain auto- biographic deails, as follow : " Right 
 worshipfull and much endeered in the Lord. 
 Promise is debt, and debt is due. The dutie of 
 my service, and the debt of my promise, I nowe 
 make bold to tender unto you all. The promise 
 which I made unto you at London when I began 
 this taske, by God's permission I haue finished 
 at Hambrough. and now tender performance. It 
 is not many yeares since that a learned Doctour 
 who is nowe with God, preaching in Court at an 
 honorable marriage, out of the Proverbs, ' She is 
 like a merchant shippe that bringeth her mer- 
 chandize from afarre '. (Pro v. 31, 14.) called 
 his sermon ' The inai chant-royall ' : I have termed 
 this the ' Man-bant Pteall.' Lor that royaltie is 
 is upheld by Eealtie. And wise men wishe ever 
 rather to be Realls than Xominalls ; '. Further, 
 as addressing Merchants he has this hit on their 
 ' calling ' : " I knowe noe condition of men more 
 happie then merchants. Their veary youth is 
 accompanied with many and many fold experien- 
 ced trialls, both by sea and land, which may make 
 them prudent. Their mature age is blessed with 
 a plcntifull portion, which may make them thank- 
 full, and their old age affordeth a very surplusage 
 of marvellous fulness, which may satisfie them ". 
 4(32 
 
MEM0RIAL-INXI10DUCTI0N. 1 7 
 
 111 the body of the work we come on these per- 
 sonal data, used earlier by us and as there noted 
 slightly corrective of Dr. Klose : " Mine enterance 
 unto you here, is and was, both civill and honest. 
 First by free election of your own folio wshipc. 
 Secondly by approbation of the State whence I 
 came. Thirdly by recommendation of his sacred 
 majestie, under his own hand, who pleased to 
 grace me, his unworthy servant, with his royall 
 letters, and of the most reverend archbishop of 
 Canterbury, who patriarchally tended your peace. 
 Fourthly with attestation from the famous TJni- 
 versitie of Oxford under their seale, and from the 
 Cathedral Church, where I have been a member 
 two and twenty yeares, and one of the masters, 
 seventeene yeeres." (pp. 1-2). Take now a few 
 quaint sentences gleaned here and there from the 
 " Merchant Reall". Of man's natural condition 
 he says " When we come into the world, our 
 trends cover our shame with laggs, and in the end 
 when we goe out of the world, they doe the like. 
 All of us are Mephibosheths, lame on both legs, 
 both in our love to God and in our charity one to 
 another. "We are all Lazaruses full of sores, and 
 lie begging at the gate of God's rich mcrcie" 
 (p 22). These characteristics of various countries 
 are noticeable : " The sea and the earth, those two 
 
 463 
 
18 Ml M'lKIAI.-l.ViKtjlUCTlON. 
 
 grand caskets of God's treasures are in severall 
 places diversely furnished. So that one country 
 seemeth as it were the granary of the world. So 
 Sicilie was called the granary of the Eomane State. 
 Another, the cellar of the world, as the Canarie 
 Islands. Another the orchard of the world, as 
 Lombardy in Ittaly so accompted. Another the 
 arcenall of the world, as Russia and Norway are 
 esteemed, espetially for cordage and materialls of 
 shipping " (pp 23, 24). Here are oddly put antith- 
 eses, having the Fullerian flavour : ''All pretious 
 stones procede from one and the selfe same matter, 
 which is the earth, and yet see what great differ- 
 ence there is betweene the vile and the pretious, 
 between the currant and the counterfaite : even so 
 among the sonnes of men, all are made of the one 
 and the same matter : yett what difference there is 
 betwixt man and man of the same mould, be- 
 tweene brother and brother of the same bloud, 
 even as much as betweene Simon Magus and 
 Simon Peter, Cephas and Caiphas, Judas the traytor 
 and Jude the apostle, yea what difference is in one 
 man when God takes him into his hand, as of a 
 persecuting Saule to make him a preaching 
 Panic " (p. 37). So too this : "We teach onlie 
 that good workes have no justifying quality in 
 themselves before God, but that faith only is like 
 464 
 
MEMORIAL-INTR0D1 < I [OX. 19 
 
 John the divine leaning on Christ's breasts, and 
 good works like St. Peter, that follow after 
 Christ. Faith the bride goeth into the chamber, 
 yea into the bed of her beloued, where the hand- 
 maids come not. Faith the bride, good works the 
 handmaids. Faith the roote, good workes the 
 fruite. Faith only necessary to justification, 
 good workes to salvation " (p. 44). Perhaps the 
 truth had been truer put if it had run ' We are 
 saved by faith not by works, but are saved unto 
 or in order to work for the Master '. This, re- 
 minds of Bacon : "Be directed therefore to rc- 
 compence noe man evill for cvill, as Joab did 
 Abner, for that's a poorc spirit ; much lesse evill 
 for good, as Judas did to Christ, for that's a divell's 
 spirit. Kay, if you doe recompense good with 
 good, as Ahasueresh did Mordicai, it is but common 
 justice; but to overcome evill with goodnes is 
 more than to preach, or to doe a miracle, or to 
 cast out a divell " (p. 46). Here is a put applica- 
 tion : " Our case is as the case of Aaron which had a 
 robe, hells, a tunacle, an ephod, the Film and 
 Thumim, and blew silke and fine linnen, yet all 
 these were none of his owne, but ornaments or- 
 dayned by God, to be put upon him. So have we 
 no pretiousnes in our selves ". (p 74). So this : 
 "Oh what a fojlish thing is it to be carefull to 
 465 
 
20 MEMOKIAL-INTKODUCTIOX. 
 
 keepe the chicken from the kite, the lamh from 
 the wolfe, and the dove from the vermin, and to 
 be carelcsse to keepc our-selves from the devill." 
 (p91). 
 
 The " Mysterie of Mankinde " yields kindred 
 quotable things: but we must content ourselves 
 with three in all. First is a small pun in the 
 Preface: " Let us therefore never listen to ' This 
 I say, this thou sayest ' : but let us hcare when 
 the Lord sayeth, and let that «utos e<i>«. bee our 
 religious ephod to put upon us." Next of the 
 religious hypocrite : '' Such are they that have 
 Jacob's voice in prating of godlinesse, but Esau's 
 hands in preaching uuhappinesse. Such are they 
 that professe a linzie woolsey religion, being 
 hatefull to God because they are not reall, hatefull 
 to the world because they are religious, albeit they 
 be but in shew, and hurtfull to themselves, 
 because they are hypocrites and' decyve themselves 
 with seeming godlinesse" (p 34). Then this of 
 goodness: " Beleevers see even by the very 
 glimpse of right reason, that nothing but man 
 maketh account of greatnes. God doth not, for 
 with him is no respect of persons ; Nature doth 
 not, for the children of princes are borne naked 
 as well as the cottager's, and death assayleth the 
 Court as well as the cart. Go lliues only is that 
 
MKjrOKIAL-lNTlfODUCTlOX. 21 
 
 wherein God delighteth, and good men tender it 
 as their breath : Godlincsse being- the gracious 
 mother and goodnesse the holy daughter." (p 38). 
 Finally, the Preacher gives no very favourable 
 ' report ' of Church-audiences : ' ' The more verc- 
 cundious and modest wee are in this our hearing 
 of God, and in our comming unto Him, the more 
 bright and beautiful we are in His sacred sight . 
 
 But the manner is now with many 
 
 to come as Sathan did — for company or custom or 
 worse — [who] came also when the sons of God 
 were assembled before him — to the divell's chap- 
 pell, according to our English proverbe " Where 
 God hath His Church, the divell hath his chappel." 
 For even in the great assemblies, while some are 
 there hearing the Word attentively, others sleep 
 profoundly, while some reade, others prate, while 
 some lift up their eyes to heaven, others point out 
 the finger to note some vanity in the next pue, 
 while some pray, others scoffe, while some sing 
 others curse, while some sigh for their sinnes, 
 others laugh at sinne, and while others sit bark- 
 ening to the sermon unto the ende, others make 
 hast to bee gone, and thinke every lioure two, 
 untill they hear the ' Peace of God' which they 
 will scarce vouchsafe to take with them, nor the 
 ' Grace of God ' neither." (pp 231—2). 
 467 
 
'Si MEMOKIAL-INTKODUCTIOX. 
 
 Il were no hard matter to bring together from 
 these and the other Sermons things worth remem- 
 brance. Enough howeverhas been adduced to shew 
 the ' manner of man' our Worthy was. T have 
 intentionally refrained from quoting Ids vehement 
 and euer-recurring flings at Popery, and equally 
 have passed his fervid and softly-worded, tender 
 prayers. The one reveals the strength of his 
 hatred, the other his charity: and as prayer is 
 a more potential and deep-reaching thing than 
 sermon-making, one may rejoice that his ' Invoca- 
 tions ' out-weigh his ' Imprecations '. 
 
 Of the " Songs of Sion " now reprinted, it needeth 
 not that I say much. There are sweet, simple, 
 pathetic strokes in these monosyllabled ' Songs ' 
 and a quiet, child-like directness that is to me 
 very loveable. I have found them to grow on me, 
 as your child's small words of question and wist- 
 ful looks, grow and deepen before you. That is, 
 the short, homely, common words, as you dwell 
 on them, dilitate and speak grand things in a 
 modest, most unconscious w ay. The fact that 
 from beginning to end of the Verse, words of a 
 single syllable alone are used, gives an unique 
 character to the book: and altogether it is a 
 humbly noticeable contribution to the History of 
 the development of our poetic Literature. Our 
 4(58 
 
MEMO KIAL- INTRODUCTION. 23 
 
 modern travestiers of the ' Pilgrim's Progress ' 
 
 and ' Robinson Cms »e ' and other classics, adapted 
 (so-called) for children, might improve their sorry 
 work by turning to Loe's mono-syllables. As a 
 book the ' Songs of Sion ' is of extreme rarity. 
 I know only of two exemplars, viz., in the British 
 Museum and in the Bodleian. It is not at 
 Hamburg. 
 
 ALEXANDER B. GROSART. 
 
 St. George's Blackburn, 
 Lancashire. 
 
 NOTE. 
 
 I embrace the opportunity of this little space, to quote 
 another dated statement from the opening of the Sermon 
 for Featley : " It is not my mind nor meaning, neither 
 was it ever my manner, I having- now preached the Gos- 
 pel seven and forty years, in Court, City, Country and 
 beyond the Seas, to trouble mine auditories with any long 
 or large beginnings " (p 1). 47 years from 1645, carries 
 back to 1598. Cf. our Memorial- Introduction on Churcham. 
 (p P 2-3). 
 
 From the encrease of materials while the " Songs of 
 Sion " were being printed, the 22 pages left have proved 
 insufficient : accordingly, I partly page only on one side, 
 in order to keep the pagination continuous. G. 
 
%foeras of gn foe. 
 
flotc. 
 
 There is a general title-page to Dr. Loe's little vol- 
 ume, -which is found only in the British Museum copy, 
 not being in the Bodleian or any other known : " Songs 
 of Sion, Set for the ioy of gods deere ones, who sitt 
 here by the brookes of this worlds Babel, & weepe when 
 they thinke on Hierusalem which is on highe. By W. 
 L." [X. D.] and Mr. Hazlitt in Lis Hand-Book 
 s. n. furnishes another : but it is only a partial enumeration 
 of the separate title-p its entirely " Anhymne 
 
 or song of seauen straines or strings " &c, and otherwise 
 is imperfect, as our reprint shews v At each division of the 
 little volume, there is a separate title-page and a separate 
 Epistle-dedicatory. These are given in their own places. 
 Collation : title-page and 115 leaves, having throughout, a 
 number of blank pages, as marked. G. 
 
An hi/mtie or no,-/;/ 
 
 Of seauen straines, or strings 
 
 set to the tone of seaven sobs, and 
 
 sighes of a seauen times seauen sad 
 
 soule for sinne, and is to be song in 
 
 the tune of 
 
 I lift mine hart to thee. 
 
 Psal. 25. or 
 
 Flie soule vnto thy rest. 
 
 Si auen time* a dale will 1 prate 
 
 to thee o god, and will praie thee 
 
 o lord for thy great gifts, carl good 
 
 graces, both to me, 
 
 and mine. 
 
 Psalm CXIX. 
 
 When the spright of ma doth sighe, 
 
 and sob to god, and is lift vp on highe, 
 
 the spright of god doth bowe it 
 
 selfe to man in ioy, 
 
 and peace. 
 
 CYPPJAN. 
 
Cpistle-Btbkatorn. 
 
 'I'd his much esteemed good fiend, Air. John 
 Powell, one of the assistants of the worthy 
 copanie of the Marchants Aducnturers. residing 
 at Hamborough. 1 
 Grace, peace, and mercie be multiplied in Christ 
 Iesu. 
 
 OETHY frend. When Iulia the Apos. 
 tate infested the Church of God, 2 so- 
 timcs by barbarous cruelty and somtimes 
 by deuilish policie, among his other wicked practi- 
 ses, that was not the least nor. the last, when he in- 
 terdited the Christians all vse of bookes, both 
 priuatly and publikely, for their children to learne, 
 
 1 See our Memorial-introduction for notice of this 
 Company (1 
 
 ally as in general title-page supra, printed with a 
 6mall ' g ' : but I don't repeat this. As usual all the 
 Divine proper names (but not the pronouns, as they are so 
 very numerous) and impersonations are given capitals. G. 
 
i',rii?Tu:-L>i i>k\ CORl'. 29 
 
 excepte Poetry. It pleased Almighty God in that 
 distresse of his Church to stirre vp a learned man, 
 one Apollinarius, a singular Metaphrast, to put 
 into heroicall Greeke verse all the psalmes of 
 Dauid : by which blessing the children of God had 
 vsc and comfort of that booke of the psalme[s] 
 and the tyrant's decree tooke noe hold of the, 
 because nowe it was become deuine poesie ; and 
 poetry they might read. Which shewes vnto vs 
 God's especiall and singular providence for his 
 Church vpon all occasions. And nowe, albeit — 
 God be blessed — there is noe cause to complaine, 
 either of any such apostaticall power — for we 
 haue an apostolicall king — nor of any such wicked 
 pollicy, — for we haue had kings and quees, 
 nursing fathers and nursing mothers of our 
 Church ; yet in these halcyon daies of ours, I 
 haue presumed to metaphrase some passages of 
 Dauid['s] psalmes, as an essay to know whether 
 we might expresse our harts to God in our holy 
 soliloquies, in moasillables in our owne mother 
 tongue or no. It being a receaued opinion 
 amogst many of those who seeme rather to be 
 iuditious than caprichious, that heretofore our 
 English tongue in the true idiorne thereof, con- 
 sisted altogether of rnonosillables, vntill it came 
 to be blended and mingled with the commixture 
 171 
 
SO EriSTLE-DEDlCATOKT. 
 
 of exotique languages. And I my selfe haue 
 seene all the Lord['s] prayer vsed in the tyme of 
 John Wiekleefe to be expressed in words of one sill- 
 able. And because God's children did reckon seauen 
 tymes seauen yeares before they could cnioy their 
 yeare of Iubile, I haue made allusion in this 
 little Essay to tune forth scaue tymes seauen sad 
 sobbs for sinne, that when we haue spent the 
 remaynder of our wretched dayes of our pilgrim- 
 age here, God may in his mercie, wipe away 
 all teares from our eyes, and bring vs to our 
 eternall Iubile, in his glorious kiugdome. Which 
 God grant to you, to me, and to all Christian 
 people for his owne rich mercie['s]' sake, and the 
 satisfactory meritts of Iesus Christ our Lord, 
 Amen. 
 
 Written from my studie within the English 
 house at Hamborough, Jan. 24. 
 
 Yours because you are of Christ. 
 
 Will : Loe. 
 
 1 In this Epistle I have added the apostrophe : hut note 
 the transition-forms, 'passages of Dauid psalmes ' and 
 ' the Lord prayer ' and ' rich mercie sake '. Hereafter I 
 will not make the correction required by present gram- 
 matical usage, the more especially as the thing is common 
 to Spenser and other contemporaries. The Teares of 
 the Muses says " whom Nature selfe had made (1, 205) 
 472 
 
EPISTLE-DEDICATOEI". 
 
 and so elsewhere. Throughout I silently remove mere 
 misprints, as ' lift' in ahove title-page is ' life ' where how- 
 ever I have left ' tone ', which prohahly ought to he 
 ' tune '. A foreign Press explains such errata. G. 
 
 473 
 
THE FIRST STRAINE. 
 
 ORD heave my suite, my plainte, 1 
 
 That my soule makes to thee : 
 
 Lord in thy truth one looke of grace 
 
 Grant in thy loue to me. 
 
 Lord see the moane I make, 
 
 Looke on me in thy grace : 
 Let not my sighes come hack in vaine 
 
 But she we to me thy face, 
 
 Loe I was borne in sinne ; 
 
 My kind, my shape, my all, 
 My stocke, my flocke, my selfe from birth 
 
 Lord from thee did fall 
 
 And I poore soule am sett 
 
 In greefe, in paine, in woe ; 
 My sinnes come on, my soule doth faint, 
 
 quitt me of my foe. 
 
 My sinnes, the haires doe passe 
 
 That are set on my head ; 
 My hart doth feare, and faint, and faile 
 
 And I am as one dead. 
 474 
 
THE SECOND STE.A1XE. 33 
 
 Thus goe I gveeud, and goord, 6 
 
 And frett in hart, and spright : 
 Thus am I faint with feare and death, 
 
 My sinnes they doe me fright. 
 
 The deeds that I haue done 
 
 Are sett in vewe of eie ; 
 My faults, my thoughts, my sinne, my shame 
 
 Thy lawes, thy lookes, doc spie. 
 
 I. Sighc. 
 
 that my thoughts, words, workes, and 
 waies, were made so straight and right, that I 
 might keepe thy lawes Lord, all the daies and 
 nights of my whole life : so should I he clere and 
 cleane from the guilt of sinne and shame. 
 
 THE SECOND STEAINE. 
 
 GOD if thou shouldst waighe 1 
 
 My waies and take a vewe, 
 I could not scape thy rod ; thy wrath, 
 
 I should in woe it rue. 
 
 iudge me not I pray, 
 sheeld me from my fall 
 
 475 
 
54 SONGS OF SION. 
 
 For in thy sight none iust doth Hue 
 No none I say at all. 
 
 Large is thy loue to me, 
 
 For it with thee I treate : 
 grant me it for Christ, his sake, 
 
 Gainst sinnes so huge, so great. 
 
 Christ what wight cloth kuowe 
 
 His sinne and faults of life ? 
 cleanse me from my sinnes at once 
 
 Which are in me most rife. 
 
 And keepe me Lord I craue 
 Least sinnes doe ore me sway : 
 
 So shall I then he free, and faine 
 To keepe thy lawe for aie. 
 
 This Lord of thee I beg, 
 
 To thee I hold vp hands'; 
 And hart and soule, both thirst, and gape, 
 
 As doth the drought in lands. 
 
 As maids doe watch and waite, 
 On queenes, some grace to hauc ; 
 
 So doe I Lord both day and night 
 For grace both beg and craue. 
 
 -176 
 
THE THIRD STRAINE. 
 
 II. Sighc 
 
 35 
 
 that there were such an hart in me to fcare 
 thee, and to keepe all thy lawes that it might goe 
 well with me and mine for aye. 
 
 THE THIIID STRAINE. 
 
 ijOUD, turne thee to thy grace 1 
 
 That once thou shewedst to me ! 
 saue me not for my good acts : 
 I seeke, I sue to Thee. 
 
 My soule why dost thou faint ? 2 
 
 And art with greefe soe prest ? 
 My hart, my mind, why doe you thus 
 
 Fret sore within my brest 
 
 Trust soule to God for aye, 3 
 
 And thou the time shalt see, 
 When thou shalt thinke, and thanke him still 
 
 For health, and peace to thee. 
 
 For why, his wrath doth last, 4 
 
 A space, and then doth slacke : 
 But in his face, and grace for aye, 
 
 Thou canst uot ioy long lacke. 
 
 Though gripes, and grcefes full sore 5 
 
 177 
 
3G songs or sion. 
 
 Doe lodge with thee all nighl 
 Yet ioy and grace, shal be at hand 
 Ere that the day be light. 
 
 The Lord is kind and meeke 
 
 When we doe make him greeue ; 
 
 He is full slowe his wrath to shew, 
 Great grace he doth vs giue. 
 
 And loe what loue good men 
 To their owne seede doe beare, 
 
 Like grace the Lord doth she we to such 
 As searue him in. his feare. 
 
 III. Sight. 
 
 O that I had wings like a doue— my sweete 
 Loue— that I might fly hence to thee, and so he 
 at rest both in mind, in thought, in hart, in soule, 
 and in mine whole. 
 
 THE FOURTH ST11AINE. 
 
 HE Lord that made me knowes 1 
 
 My shape, my mould, my Inst : 
 II Howe weake, ho we vaine, howe fraile, 
 ho we fond, 
 And that I am but dust. 
 478 
 
the Forra'u straine. 37 
 
 God in me set vp 2 
 
 A pure hart in thy sight ; 
 And eke in all my parts let be 
 
 A good and meeke sweete spright. 
 
 With thy sweete spright of power 3 
 
 Cure thou Lord my sore ; 
 And I shall teach the good and ill 
 
 To bo we to thy sweete lore. 
 
 My soule doth pant and bray, 4 
 
 Mine hart is neere at rest, 
 But seekes to knowe thy lawe, thy will, 
 
 Aud what may please thee best. 
 
 would it might thee please 5 
 
 My waies to set in right, 
 That I might both in hart and deed. 
 
 Thy lawes to kcepe in sight. 
 
 Lord I doe tend still 6 
 
 My dales, my time to serue, 
 That I nor mie may haue a thought 
 
 Prom thy lawes once to swerue. 
 
 saue me then God, 7 
 
 Looke on me with thy health : 
 Tor that I rate at such a price 
 
 More the the wide world's wealth 
 479 
 
38 SONGS OF S10X. 
 
 IV. Sight. 
 
 O let the words of my mouth, the thoughts of 
 my hart, the tune of my voice, and touch of my 
 tongue, he euer in thy sight Lord as a sweet 
 smell, for Christ, his sake, both at morne, eue, and 
 none daye. 
 
 THE FIFT STEAINE. 
 
 ITH ioy Lord of the iust 1 
 
 Let my poore soule he fraught : 
 That I may Hue in peace and glee, 
 And free from all that's naught. 
 
 Lord keepe me, for in thee 2 
 
 I stay, and stand and feed : 
 Thou art my God, and of my goods 
 
 Lord thou hast noe need. 
 
 I giue them to the saincts 3 
 
 That in the world doe dwell : 
 Yea to the folke of faith and loue, 
 
 Whose care is to doe well. 
 
 My hart is prest for aye, 4 
 
 And eke my tongue is soe : 
 I will raise vp my soule in song 
 
 In spight of hell and foe. 
 4S0 
 
THE S1XT STRAINE. 39 
 
 To praise my God that hath 5 
 
 Shewd loue and life to me, 
 And made me scape both bloud and blowe, 
 
 And so did sett me free. 
 
 Lord what shall I pay 6 
 To thee for this thy grace : 
 
 1 vowe to thee, my selfe, my life, 
 My loue, and all my race. 
 
 Grant Lord, I beg and pray 7 
 
 In thee that we may rest : 
 So shall our soules sing to thy praise, 
 
 And aye in thee be blest. 
 
 v. Sight. 
 
 O my God, why art thou gone from me, and 
 why dost thou hide thy sweete face from my 
 prayer, for I seeke thee, and sue to thee, with all 
 my hart, and that thou knowest full well. 
 
 THE SIXT STRAIXE. 
 
 Y soule giue praise to God, 1 
 
 My spright shall doe the same, 
 And all the parts of hart and mind, 
 Shall praise for aye his name. 
 481 
 
40 SONGS OF SIOX. 
 
 Giue thankes for all his gifts 
 Shew soule thy selfe most kind ; 
 
 And let not his good deeds to thee 
 Once slipp out of thy mind. 
 
 He quitt thee of thy faults, 
 
 He rid thy life from death : 
 His good, his grace doth waite on thee, 
 
 His word doth giue thee breath 
 
 If thou wert brought to graue, 
 And turnd to mould and dust, 
 
 Yet he will giue thee life in store, 
 As he to thee is iust. 
 
 Teach me then Lord to knowe 
 Thy lawe, thy loue, thy lore; 
 
 Thy workes, thy words, as v signes and seales 
 I'le lay them vp in store. 
 
 day of ioy to me 
 
 When I learnd first to knowe 
 Howe for to scape my selfe, my shine, 
 And hell that is soe lowe. 
 
 1 giue mine all to thee, 
 
 My bud, my branch, my fruite : 
 I beg of thee, Lord, my God 
 To grant to me my suite. 
 
 483 
 
THE SETXENTH STRAIN I:. )[ 
 
 VI. Stghc. 
 
 my God, to thy hands I giue my spright 
 thou bast bine a pledge tor me and that to death, 
 God. Thou art the God both of my health, 
 life, and rest for aye. 
 
 THE SEITE^TH STKAIKE. 
 
 LORD, thou hast me tride, 1 
 
 And clay by day dost knowe 
 My thoughts, my words, my lookes, my 
 deeds, 
 My sighs, my groans, my woe. 
 
 My bones they are not hid, 2 
 
 Thou knewst them all, each one : 
 
 For in thy note they were all wrote 
 Each ioynt, and bone by bone. 
 
 Trie still, and search mine hart, 3 
 
 My thoughts proue day and night 
 
 And if the ill doe touch me Lord, 
 leade me to the right. 
 
 For thou canst rule my raines 4 
 
 As when T was in wombe ; 
 giude me in this life of mine, 
 
 And rest me in my tombe. 
 
 d 483 
 
42 songs or siox. 
 
 Keepe me from men that muse 
 
 Of bloud of bane, of ill ; 
 let me thinke of thee Lord, 
 And howe to doe thy will. 
 
 So shall noe shame me taynt 
 My corps, my goods, my name : 
 
 So shall I rest in ioy and peace, 
 And touch noe blot of shame. 
 
 So shall thy folke for me, 
 
 Be glad, and sing thy praise ; 
 
 So shall my selfe, my seed, my soule, 
 Be thine in all uiy daies. 
 
 VII. Sighc. 
 
 O let not my suite come in vaine to thee, but 
 heare my God, and say to my soule I am, and 
 will be thy passe from hell, thy port from the sea 
 of this world, and will bring thee to the bay of 
 blisse. 1 
 
 1 Following this are two blank leaves or four pages, 
 •with border lines. G. 
 
 4S4 
 
A months minde. 
 
 To Thinke on death, & muse 
 on the graue, that the feare of death 
 may not be fierce when Christ shall 
 call vs out of this world, & is to 
 be song in the tune 
 of 
 1 sayd I will looke to my waie. 
 PSALM. XXXIX. 
 death I will be thy death (saith 
 
 Christ) fur he is the death of death, the 
 
 death of sinne, the life of man and tin' 
 
 breath of god for man to line 
 
 there in world with 
 
 out end. 
 
 Hamborough. Januarii 24. 
 1620. 1 
 
 1 Blank on reverse. G. 
 
To [his much-respected good frond, Mr. Thomas 
 Barker, one of the assistants of the worthy 
 copanie of the Merchants Aduenturers, residing 
 at Hamborough. 
 The blessing of both worlds in Christ Iesus. 
 
 ELBELOTJED, There isnothingmore com- 
 fortable to a spirituall minded ma then 
 to muse and meditate of his departure 
 hence into the blessed sight of Christ, in the 
 other life : yet to a worldling that would build 
 vp a rest for his body here, and sing a requiem 
 to his soule in this vale of teares, nothing is more 
 fearefull and hiddeous then for him to heare 
 death spoken of. We must therefore examine 
 our selues, whether we can sing a song of Sio in 
 this exile and banishmet, whether we can solace 
 our selues, in hymnes and songs, of our ends and 
 departure hence : For we must hence : nothing 
 more sure ; but the tyme when, the place where, 
 and the manner how, nothing more vnsure. It is 
 sufficient that God telleth vs, our life is but a flower 
 that fadeth, an hower that passeth, a shadow that 
 departeth, a vanity that vexeth, a momet that warn- 
 
EPIST 1 . K- U EDtCATORY. 1 o 
 
 eth, a nothing when we haue done all we can. For 
 onr thoughts, our faults, our purposes, our proiects, 
 our loues, our, 'Hues, when our hrcath departeth, 
 perisheth in the twinckling of an eie. then let 
 vs meditate and muse to our selues, and sing and 
 say to our soules, that our end and the last things, 
 are not the least hut the best things that we can 
 consider of to mortifie vs and make vs meete for 
 the sauing mercies of God in Christ ; to which I 
 recomend you in my dearest loue, and rest. 
 Yours in life and death, 
 
 W. Loe. 
 
 487 
 
mm* 
 
 THE FIRST MUSE. 
 
 EARE soule thou hast thought of thy 
 end 1 
 
 And nowe muse on the way ; 
 The first part is a life well spent, 
 The last is death's doome's day. 
 
 Shall I call that the way of woe 2 
 
 By which we passe to blisse ? 
 sure there is noe way but that 
 
 To bring me where Christ is. 
 
 And what is death nowe dost thou thinke 3 
 
 But downe with all the stickes, 
 Of which this earth and tent of ours 
 
 Is made, that gainst Gk>d kickes. 
 
 Death is the farewell of old frends, 4 
 
 Till they meete to be blest ; 
 Death is the iudge to quitt fro iayle, 
 
 The soule that longs for rest. 
 
 Death makes the corps of clay to sleepe, 5 
 But wakes the soule to see ; 
 
 438 
 
THFC SECOND MTJKE. 
 
 Death paves the debte and teares the bond, 
 And all to sett thee free. 
 
 There is a death of deaths my soule 
 
 The death of hell and woe ; 
 But Christ, his death, hath payd for that ; 
 
 His word doth tell thee soe. 
 
 Christ, my sonle doth thinke on thee, 
 And thankes thee day and night, 
 
 That thou hast rid me fro this death, 
 ISy thy great power and might. 
 
 I. thought. 
 
 Thy Christ, soule, hath set them free, who 
 through feare of death were all their life time in 
 bonds and thrall. 
 
 Heb. 2. 15. 
 
 THE SECOKD MUSE. 
 
 MUSE my soule, sith thou art safe, 1 
 
 Get home ene to thy rest ; 
 For God to praise in songs and psalmes, 
 I hold it for the best. 
 
 My soule, howe canst thou feare to goe 
 In stepps where Christ hath bine ; 
 489 
 
SONGS OI- SIO.V. 
 
 He hath to graue led thee the way 
 then leaue of to sinno. 
 
 For hire of sinne is death, and graue 3 
 
 To death are deepe fell waves ; 
 There needs no kinues 1 , noe cords, noe swords, 
 
 It comes on nights and dayes. 
 
 One by a slatt, 2 a flye, a grape, 4 
 
 One by a bit of meate : 
 One by the ayre, a flower, a thorne, 
 
 Conies to his doome so great. 
 
 "Why then my soule, feare not this death : 5 
 
 The sting of it is lost : 
 The bed of graue is sweete, and safe 
 
 Through Christ, his care and cost. 
 
 Our sinne made death our\foe at last, 6 
 
 Our frend Christ hath it made ; 
 By death we pass the port of rest, 
 
 When all things else doe fade. 
 
 What if this giude 3 doe lead my corps 7 
 
 Through graue both dark and fell ? 
 
 = knives. G. 
 
 : slate or stcne (falling from a roof). G. 
 guide, as before, and so throughout. G. 
 490 
 
TIIK THIRD MUSE. 49 
 
 Whiles at that tyme my 60ule doth line 
 And with my Christ tloth dwell. 
 
 II. thought. 
 
 O my soule, ioy and be glad, for thy Christ 
 hath made thee say to death, death where is thy 
 death? mam- where is thy power? 
 
 1 Cor. 15, 55. 
 
 THE THIRD MUSE. 
 
 HAT if my fiends doe monrne for me 1 
 
 And sobb and sighe in moane ; 
 "What if my seed doe cry and roare, 
 And greeue, and waile, and grone. 
 
 This while my soule sees him that was 2 
 
 Once dead but nowe doth liue, 
 And that for aye my Christ in God, 
 
 My Lord that life doth gine. 
 
 "What care I who doth shutt mine eies, 3 
 
 Whe death doth make me see 
 As I am seene of God in Christ, 
 
 And then with him shall be. 
 
 "What if my life the world doe not 4 
 
 Set out in words of fame ! 
 491 
 
50 SONGS OF SION. 
 
 Whiles I line with the God of life, 
 What care I for the same. 
 
 If death showld still be foe to me, 5 
 
 He harmes but my worst part ; 
 My best part farre out of his reach 
 
 Scornes both his ruth and dart. 
 
 Aud more then this, my corps ouce dead, 6 
 Feeles noe more sting of death ; 
 
 But then my soule is free, and hues 
 In God, by Christ, his breath. 
 
 Nowe then my soule sith thou dost beare 7 
 
 Two things wrapt vp in breast. 
 Lett each part turne, and goe, and see 
 
 His seate, his scite, his rest. 
 
 III. Thought. 
 
 O God they that dwelt in a darke place, by thee 
 haue seene the light, and they that walkt in the 
 shade of death thou hast brought them to the 
 light with great ioy and peace. 
 
 Esay. 9. 2. 
 
THE FOURTH MUSK. 
 
 THE FOURTH MUSE. 
 
 51 
 
 IHPJ^KE not deare soule at the sight of 
 death 1 
 
 Nor faint thou at God's call ; 
 Howe oft hast thou hard bells to passe 
 For frends, for foes, for all. 
 
 Howe oft hast thou the sicke bed sene, 2 
 
 Of wights in woe most rife ! 
 Howe ofthaue things bine done to death 
 
 And all to giue thee life. 
 
 And canst thou hope that some way else 3 
 
 For thee is made in sence ? 
 Whe kings, and prests, and rich, and poore 
 
 And all must thus goe hence. • 
 
 Passe on my soule, and sing, and ioy 4 
 
 In God that makes the graue, 
 A place for thee to pass to blisse 
 
 And knowes what thou wouldst haue. 
 
 Howe oft hast thou scene eies fast closd ( 
 
 And heard by dint of sword, 
 Howe oft vaine men in field haue fought 
 
 In fence of a vaine word. 
 
 What the nowe dost thou feare my soule ? < 
 The stage of death is bed, 
 493 
 
52 SONGS OF SION. 
 
 And graue, that rests our bones in peace 
 That here on earth haue fed. 
 
 Let them feare death whose hart and mind 7 
 
 Is more sickc the their face : 
 Howe canst thou feare since nowe thy Christ 
 
 Hath shed his bloud for grace ? 
 
 iv. thought. 
 
 O giue me light that am set in a dark place, 
 and shade of death, and giude me by thy good 
 grace Christ, to the way of peace. 
 
 Luck. 1. 79. 
 
 THE LIFT MUSE. 
 
 jlHAT losse is this sweet soule to loose 1 
 This corps, this flesh, this skinn ? 
 When thou shalt winn thy God in Christ, 
 Thy selfe fre'd from thy sinn. 
 
 When thou shalt see the soules, the saincts 2 
 
 In ioy, in rest, in blisse : 
 Whe thou this world a sea of sinne 
 
 A sinke, a stye, shalt misse ? 
 
 494 
 
THE FI1T MUSE. 53 
 
 change most blest for thee to knowe 3 
 
 To rid thee of these raggs ; 
 And thy selfe clad in robes of state 
 
 In spight of death, his brags. 
 
 This shin, this shame, this dust, this dung, 4 
 
 This earth, this mire, this clay, 
 Shall shine as sunne in raies of rest 
 
 "When thou shalt see that day. 
 
 Thine eies that were fall sad to see 5 
 
 Thine oft and ill done deeds ; 
 Shall then see Christ still in thy sight 
 
 Where grace and good still feeds. 
 
 These eares that heare the ruth and rage G 
 
 Of tongue, as hott as hell ; 
 Shall then the voice of Christ still heare, 
 
 And saincts, with him that dwell. 
 
 And the this tongue that now doth plaiue 7 
 
 Of greefe, of woe, of gall, 
 Shall tune a part in that sweet quire 
 
 With Christ, with saincts, with all. 
 
54 SOXGS OF *]ON. 
 
 V. thought. 
 
 my soule thy Christ hath tooke part with 
 flesh aud bloud, that by death he might beate 
 downe him that had the power of death. 
 
 Heb. 2. 14. 
 
 THE SIXT MUSE. 
 
 I 
 
 OWE what is death the say my soule, 1 
 I'st not a sleepe in graue ? 
 They that did feele the worst of it, 
 
 The stile of sleepe it gaue. 
 
 And aske thy corps, my sweete soule, 
 
 Whe full with toyle of day, 
 If it hath not bine glad to rest 
 
 As cloyd with a foule way. 
 
 And nowe in this sweete sleepe of death 
 
 Thou art sure to be blest, 
 "Why like a child wilt thou not goe 
 
 To this thy bed, tliy rest ? 
 
 Didst thou ere see a bird in cage, 
 
 Sitt still within the grate ? 
 That might flie foorth to woods, to groues, 
 
 To meete his loue, his mate ? 
 
 496 
 
THE SI. I TNI II MUSE. 55 
 
 Did Paulc when God his gyues had burst 5 
 
 And rid him out of iayle ? 
 Crie out and say, not yet Lord 
 
 I doe not like this bayle. 
 
 Paule slepte twixt two that did him keepe 6 
 
 But whe that he was free 
 And rid fro iayle, did he once turne 
 
 To iayle those bonds to see ? 
 
 my sweete soule did'st ere thou see 7 
 
 At sea, men sing their songs : 
 And whe to lad they cae did greeue 
 
 And tell their frends of wrongs ? 
 
 VI. ^Lhourjht. 
 
 O heare me Lord, my God, and giue light to 
 mine eies least I sleepe the sleepe of death. 
 
 Psal. 30. 3. 
 
 THE SELEXTH MUSE. 
 
 ijAST thou soule, no mind to rest 
 
 In all thy paine and toyle ? 
 I But wilt thou still goe on and diudge 
 By lott on sea, on soyle. 
 
 497 
 
56 songs or siox. 
 
 Howe oft haue wights in woe and greefe 2 
 Sought death to ease their paine ! 
 
 Hath death found thee, and wilt thou not 
 To goe from greefe be faine? 
 
 Doth name of death the[e] fright my soul.' ? 3 
 
 What if me call sleepe death, 
 Wilt thou be fraid to close thine eies 
 
 Or feare to loose thy breath ? 
 
 What hurt will coe to thee by that ? 4 
 
 The first man was in sleepe 
 Whe God a wife made him for helpe, 
 
 The man in ioy to keepe. 
 
 And what if nowe thy God for thee, ;"> 
 
 Whilst thou dost sleepe in grauc, 
 Doth make thy soule a spouse to Christ 
 His face, his grace to haue ? 
 
 My death, soule, but parts the freds 6 
 
 That each hath led the Way, 
 And nowe shake hands but for a space 
 
 Till mecte in rest they may. 
 
 Goe then, my soule, to this sure gaine 7 
 
 Part with a trend a space : 
 The tyme will come when this my dust, 
 
 Shall sec thy Christ, his face. 
 498 
 
THE EIGHT MUSE. 57 
 
 VII. thought 
 
 The due of sinne, my soule, is death, and graue, 
 and hell : but the gift of God is life, ioy, and 
 blisse, by Christ my Lord and God. 
 Rom. 6. 13. 
 
 THE EIGHT MUSE. 
 
 ELL me my soule was thou not loth 1 
 At first to ioyne with me ? 
 Why nowe art loth to part with that, 
 Which much woe letts thee see. 
 
 Dost thou not heare the wise to say 2 
 
 The day of death is cheefe ; 
 And is more good then day of birth 
 
 Which brings thee woe and greefe ? 
 
 Dost thou not trust the wise man's words 3 
 
 On throne, in state, in glee, 
 That thus did say of death and birth ? 
 
 Then hark thou once to me. 
 
 The Lord of life that knewe death's force 4 
 
 Doth say that they are blest 
 That die in God, our Lord, our Christ 
 
 And from their woes haue rest. 
 
 B 499 
 
58 SONGS OF SION. 
 
 death howe sweete is that thy rest 
 To wights in vale of teares ! 
 
 Howe sweete is thy grim face to those 
 That liue in woe and feares ! 
 
 soule what man is so fell mad, 
 And so in soule cast downe, 
 
 To hide himselfe in hase things here 
 To loose by them a crowne ? 
 
 My soule then see and say in fine 
 With men of God's owne lore ; 
 
 For me to die it is more good 
 Then liue on this ville shore. 
 
 viii. thought. 
 
 O, my soule, if by one man's sinne death did 
 raigne by one, much more they which haue much 
 grace and the gift of faith, shall raigne in life by 
 one Christ, my Lord and God. 
 
 Ron. 5. 17. 
 
 500 
 
THi: STNGTH MUSE. , r )9 
 
 THE NINGTH 1 MUSE. 
 
 HAT ayles thee my sou]e, my deare, 1 
 
 Such face, such feare to shewe ? 
 Nowe death doe come to cite thee home 
 Is all thv faith, hut dewc ? 
 
 Is death soe fcarce, so fell, to eies, 2 
 
 To thoughts, that was soe free ? 
 it is a shame to thee my soule, 
 
 Thou dost noe more Christ see. 
 
 "Where is thy faith ? in words thou could'st 3 
 
 Call oft for death, in life : 
 Is all but talke ? is all but smoke ? 
 
 Where is thy hope so life ? 
 
 Hath thy sweete Christ now sent for thee 4 
 
 And art thou loth to goe? 
 Rouze vp thy selfe for shame, soule 
 
 And doe not serue him soe. 
 
 O Lord, raise vp this hart of mine 5 
 
 That faints and droopes in death ! 
 
 that I might thy cup once tast, 
 And Hue in thy sweete breath. 
 
 1 Misprinted, ' nigth '. G. 
 501 
 
60 SONGS OF SIGN. 
 
 The spright would come, but flesh is weake 6 
 
 Lord helpe this guest of thine ! 
 And rid her from this flesh of sinne 
 
 Which is a broode of mine. 
 
 I come to thee, Lord I come, 7 
 
 Streach forth thine hand to me ! 
 
 death, graue where is thy sting ? 
 My crowne, my God I see. 
 
 ix. thought 
 
 They are blest that haue a part in the first life : 
 for on such, the last death shall haue noe strength, 
 but they shal be preests of God, and of Christ. 
 
 Apoc. 20. 6. 
 
 Jittis. 
 
 502 
 
Alls Faults Prayers. 
 
 Metaphrased into words of 
 
 one syllable of great Brittains 
 
 language, & are to be vsed by a devout 
 
 Christian soule in his piiuate soliloquie 
 
 & holy solaces with his 
 
 God. 
 
 And are set to the tune of 
 J hue the lord because my voice. 
 Psalm CXVI. 
 
 lord my god thou hast brought 
 vp my soule from out of the graue &; thou 
 didst hold me front those that goe 
 downe to the pitt. 
 
^M^§m^^l 
 
 To his much esteemed good frend Mr. Nicholas 
 Backhouse marchant, one of the assistants of 
 the worthy companie of the Marchant Ad- 
 uenturers residing at Hamborough. 
 The ioy of Ierusalem, and peace of Syon. 
 
 TJCH cndeered, The cheefest parts of God's 
 seruice, are either prayer or praise : 
 prayer for what we want : praise in 
 thanksgiuing for what we haue receaued. 
 
 The sweete singer of Israeli in his heaucnly 
 composed hymes vseth both to pray to God and 
 to praise God. I need not recomend vnto you 
 prayer. I hope you vse it ; as I knowe you doe 
 publikcly soe I doubte not but you vse it also pri- 
 uately. Preaching is God's speach to you : prayer 
 is ours to him. Preaching belongs to me ; I 
 preach to you as your pastor, and pray for you 
 also. Prayer belongs to you, to pray for me, 
 your selfe, all yours, all God's childie. For the 
 manner howe noe better president, noe more per- 
 fecte patterne, then S. Paull's practice in his 
 prayers, which I haue here metaphrased for you 
 504 
 
EMSTLE-DEDICATOliY. 63 
 
 in the syllables of your owne mother-tongue. God 
 the father is the obiecte of your prayers and 
 prayses. God the Sonne the presenter of them, 
 as the only Master of Bequests in heauen. God 
 the Holy Ghost the very breath of your prayers, 
 the smile 1 of your soule. Vse this blessed exer- 
 cise both of prayer and praise. Be in loue with 
 it, and God will loue you. To which loue of his 
 in this modell of my best loue to you, I recom- 
 end your well disposed thoughts in the sauing 
 mercies of Christ Iesus your Lord and mine. Rest- 
 ing, 
 
 To be required by you, or your frends in 
 Christ's seruice. 
 
 W. Loe. 
 
 1 Misprinted ' simle ' here and so in next piece. G. 
 
 505 
 
THE FTRST PRAYER. 
 
 CEASE not to giue thankes to thee, 
 God, my God most iust, 
 SI For all thy gifts of grace and loue, 
 To vs that Hue in dust. 
 
 And Lord I craue a glympse of light 
 
 In Christ my Lord, thy sonne . 
 That so my faith may see that sight, 
 
 And to it still may runne. 
 
 That I may knowe thy heeke, thy call, 
 
 My hope, my helpe, my all : 
 That I may haue thy power' 1 and strength, 
 
 To helpe me when I fall. 
 
 For thou God, hast made vs see 
 What thou hast wrought in loue : 
 
 For thy sweete spouse thy Church, thy wife, 
 Thy ioy, thy smile, thy doue . 
 
 For thou hast set our Christ, God, 
 
 At thy right hand to shine : 
 And thou to that place wilt vs bi hag 
 
 For that deare loue of thine. 
 
 506 
 
THE SECOND P1UYER. 65 
 
 God, thou laidst my Christ full lowe 6 
 
 Within the earth so darke : 
 But thou didst raise hiru vp on high 
 
 And settst him as a marke. 
 
 On which we fix our eies of faith 7 
 
 Our harts, our minds, our loue : 
 
 bring vs all to him, sweete God, 
 That is our deere, our doue. 
 
 God, my hart is fixt on thee, and my tongue 
 shall sing, and giue praise to thy name for aye. 
 
 PSAL. 108. 1. 
 
 THE SECOND PRATER. 
 
 DAY by day doe bowe to thee 
 
 And cease not in the night 
 To seeke thee, Lord, in all my thoughts 
 
 And muse of all thy might. 
 
 Eor of our Christ is made 1 the churc. 
 
 Of vs that Hue in clay, 
 And eke thy guard 2 and saincts on high 
 
 That praise thee day by day. 
 
 1 Misprinted 'nade '. G. 
 
 2 Misprinted ' gaurd '. G. 
 
 507 
 
66 SONGS OK SIOX. 
 
 Grant vs, Lord, that we may knowe 3 
 
 Thy grace, our good, our cud : 
 And that we may feele power and strength, 
 
 And Christ may be our frend. 
 
 Let him dwell in our harts, Lord, 4 
 
 And then we shall thee see, 
 With all thy saincts in breadth and length 
 
 In depth, in height, in glee. 
 
 Then shall we knowe the loue of Christ 5 
 
 That else is past our skill, 
 The a shalt thou fill vs with thy grace, 
 
 In him to doe thy will. 
 
 Lord for vs this thou can'st doe 6 
 
 And more then all, that is 
 Of thy good grace to worke in vs, 
 
 In Christ how should -we misse. 
 
 Praise be to thee in all the world, 7 
 
 Thy church doe sing the same, 
 And age to age shall eke sett forth 
 
 For aye, to ours, thy name. 
 
 God thou art my God, ere it be day will I 
 seeke thee : my soule and flesh doe thirst and long 
 for thee, as dric land which wants raine. 
 Psal. 63. 1. 
 
 503 
 
Till: THIRD PEATER. G7 
 
 THE THIRD TRAEYR. 
 Pjiillippians I. 9. 
 RALjST to ys Lord that loue may dwell I 
 
 In these poore tents of ours ; 
 For we must hence we knowe full [well], 1 
 
 And fade as doe the flowers. 
 
 And graut good Lord that in thy loue 
 It may growe more and more, 
 
 That we may knowe what things are ill 
 And lead not to thy loue. 
 
 So may we in the day of doome 
 
 In Christ be void of shame, 
 And fild with his faire fruits of loue 
 
 May seape the rod of blame. 
 
 Then shall we sing the praise to thee 
 
 In midst of all thy saincts, 
 Then shall our soule 3 be glad, and ioy, 
 
 That nowe is weake, and faints. 
 
 I cease not Lord to pray for those 
 
 That seeke and sue to thee, 
 That they may knowe howe safe and sure 
 
 In Christ their soules may be. 
 
 ' Well ', as inadvertently dropped, supplied by us. G. 
 Misprinted ' soules '. G. 
 504. 
 
08 SONGS UF SlO.N. 
 
 And that we all may walke and worke 6 
 
 In word, in worth, in all, 
 As he that hath vs cald to this, 
 
 And rid vs of our thrall. 
 
 AVho hath vs fre'd from power of death 7 
 
 Fro foggs and doggs of hell : 
 And set vs by his chaire of state, 
 
 With Christ for aye to dwell. 
 
 Saue vs, Lord our God, and bring vs from 
 those that doe not call on thee, that we may 
 call on thee, and laud and praise thy name for aye. 
 Psal. 106. 47. 
 
 THE FOURTH PRAYER. 
 Thessalonians III. 11. 
 
 HE Lord our God, our strength and stay 1 
 Make vs to loue each one ; 
 And make vs knowe howe that we are 
 
 Made all of flesh and bone. 
 
 That soe we may growe vp in grace 
 And firme in hart and minde : 
 
 That soe to all we may set forth 
 Our loue both sure and kind. 
 510 
 
THE FOURTH PRAYER. 69 
 
 Yea not to cease till that our Lord 3 
 
 Doe come in clouds full bright, 
 To iudge this earth, and all the folke, 
 
 Yea all the world, in sight. 
 
 For is it not the loue of Christ 4 
 
 Who did loue vs so deare, 
 That we through hope of grace in him 
 
 Should Hue voyd of base feare. 
 
 Lord be thou ioy to all our harts ! 5 
 
 Our words, our workes good make, 
 
 That we may loue and Hue in thee, 
 For thy sonne Christ, his sake. 
 
 God of peace, of loue, of life 6 
 
 Grant vs to serue thee still 
 In spright, in soule, in hart, in mind 
 
 And this of thy good wiU. 
 
 Yea keepe vs Lord fro blame and blott 7 
 
 Till Christ doth come in skey : 
 So shall we sure be of thy loue, 
 
 To Hue, when we shaU die. 
 
 Heare me Lord, and that soone, for my soule 
 doth waxe faint : hide not thy face from me, 
 least I be like them that goe downe to the 
 grave. 
 
 Psu.. 148. 7. 
 ill 
 
70 SONGS OF si ON. 
 
 THE F1FT PRATER. 
 Romaxs. VII. 25. 
 
 THANKE thee Lord, that hast sett nowe 1 
 In me a fight, a iarre ; 
 My mind, my flesh, doe day by day 
 In strife sett forth a warre. 
 
 My mind to thy sweete lawe giues way, 2 
 
 My flesh in thrall is brought ; 
 My mind would keep thy lawe, thy lore, 
 
 And hath thy will still sought. 
 
 But my base flesh is prompt, and seckes 3 
 
 Thy lawe to cast me fro. 
 God what shall I doe in this ? 
 
 With me the case is so. 
 
 My mind would doe the good full fainc, 4 
 
 That thy lawes shewe to me, 
 But still my flesh cloth frett and fume 
 
 Gainst this thy lawe to me. 
 
 For I doe not that which I loue 5 
 
 But I doe that I hate, 
 And all for that my mind is vext 
 
 With this my flesh, my mate. 
 
 What shall I doe Lord my God 6 
 
 512 
 
THE SIXT I'EATEK. 71 
 
 All wretch who setts thee free ? 
 Fro this fell death of shine and shame 
 That I thy grace may see. 
 
 I thanke my God who haue me fre'd 
 
 For his sonne Christ, his sake ; 
 To him for aye both night and day, 
 
 My hymnes, my songs I make. 
 
 God that thou wouldst beat downe the strong 
 and ill man, that rules and raignes in my weake 
 flesh, that I may say to him goe farre from me. 
 Psal. 139. 19. 
 
 THE SIXT PRAYER. 
 
 Romans, xvi. 24. 
 
 HE grace of God be all my giude. 
 His power be all my staye, 
 His strength eke be to me a staffe, 
 Ry night, and eke by day. 
 
 For he it is that hath me taught 
 That which the world nere knewc, 
 
 Till Christ our Lord was made to vs 
 Our Lord, our God in vewe. 
 • 13 
 
•1 BONGS OK 810X. 
 
 To God in hymnes, still will I sing, 8 
 
 His praise in all my mirth : 
 The world shall sett him forth in praise. 
 
 In all parts of the earth. 
 
 If there be wight that Hues in life, 4 
 
 And doth not loue our God, 
 Let him tast of the Lord of hosts 
 
 His curse, his wrath, his rod. 
 
 But let the loue of God, and grace 5 
 
 Of Christ, be with you all 
 That loue and looke, and long for him, 
 
 To rid vs of our thrall. 
 
 And let our God that brought from death 6 
 Our Christ, our grace, our blisse, 
 
 Set vs with saincts in ioy, in light 
 Where as our Christ nowe is. 
 
 So shall we tue 1 in that sweete quire 7 
 
 Midst of those saincts in rest ; 
 And see his saincts in light of lights, 
 
 And so for aye be blest. 
 
 God let them that hate thee flie from thy sight 
 
 1 = Tune. G. 
 514 
 
i HE 1 "i UIH PKAYEll. 10 
 
 aist doth from the sunne, but Let them 
 bal oue thee be glad and ioy in thee. 
 Psal. 68. 1. 
 
 THE SEUENTH PRAYER. 
 Hebrews, xiii. 20. 
 
 GOD wo are poore sheepc that stray 1 
 
 In woods, in waies of sinne : 
 Bo we downe thine eare to vs, and heare 
 And rid vs of this dinne. 
 
 That we may knowe thy grace in Christ 2 
 
 That keepes vs as his flocke, 
 That leads vs forth to streames of ioy, 
 
 And setts vs on a rocke. 
 
 That soc we may ore see this world 3 
 
 And all the things in it : 
 And then doe place vs vp on high 
 
 With him in ioy to sit. 
 
 Graut vs good Lord that we may see 4 
 
 The good that doth thee please : 
 So shall we line in hart, in mind 
 
 In ioy, in rest, in ease. 
 
 al Lord what thou dost bid vs do< 5 
 
 That we ma mi 
 
 r 515 
 
74 SOXGS OF S10JS\ 
 
 Bid what tliou wilt and graiit vs grace 
 Arid we will praise thy name. 
 
 To Christ our Lord the Lamhc of God 6 
 
 That shed his hloud for sinties, 
 To rid vs from the fcends of hell 
 
 And all their crafts and ginns. 
 
 lie praisd of vs all tymes and tyds 
 
 In woe, and eke in wealth : 
 And let the folke on all the earth 
 
 Giue laud to him for health. 
 
 Lord God of our health, I crie day and night 
 to thee, let my grones come nigh to thee, and ho we 
 downe thine eare to my sighes, that I make to 
 thee. 1 
 
 1 Following this again are two blank leaves, with bor- 
 der lines, and after next title-page, one blank page. G. 
 
 ^^p!^ 
 
The song of songs 
 
 Or the Canticle of Solomon 
 
 betweene Christ & his spouse, 
 
 the two first chapters, & is set to 
 
 the tune of 
 
 Blessed are they that perfect are. 
 
 Psal. cxix. 1 part. 
 
To his much esteemed good freend Mr. William 
 Christmas, Marchant, one of the deacons of the 
 English Church residing at Hainborough : 
 Grace here, glory for euer in Christ. 
 
 n OUI]S T G, and beloued frend, the title of 
 this heauenly hymne sheweth the excell- 
 ency thereof. For it is called the* song 
 of songs, or the Canticles of wise Soloman. The 
 subiecte is most sacred, for it is the nuptiall lone- 
 song betweene Christ and his Spouse. Wherein 
 their mutuall loues by sweete reseblaces are mys- 
 tically and maruelously expressed. What more 
 comfortable song then to sing our hart's loue we 
 beare to Christ, in the blessed vnion by one spirit, 
 wherby we haue euerlasting life. Two of the 
 first chapters of which song I haue metaphrased 
 into monosyllables, which I haue bequethed to 
 your loue as a signe of mine, and to seale both 
 ours. Receaue it as the rest of your colleagues, 
 for I wisli you all the happines of both worlds in 
 the sauing mercies of Christ, to which I recom- 
 
 518 
 
EPISTLE-DEDICATOR'S . 
 
 77 
 
 mend you and all that looke vpon you with Lou< . 
 resting, 
 
 Tours because of Christ, 
 
 W. Loe. 1 
 
 1 Following this is a Wank leaf, as before. G. 
 
 519 
 
THE FIRST SONG. 
 The Spouse speafos to Christ. 
 
 THAT thou wouldst on me so cast 
 
 Some lookes of thy sweete loue, 
 That thou maist make me deere to thee 
 My hart with grace to moue. 
 
 Thy loue Christ is farre more deare, 
 
 Arid farre more sweete to me 
 Then wealth, or wine, or limhe, or life, 
 
 Or ought that I can see. 
 
 The sweete that I smell of thy name 
 Is like an oyle most pure, 
 
 And pourd it is on all thy saincts, 
 Such is thy loue soe sure. 
 
 drawe me, drawe me, I will runne 
 To bord, to bed, with thee : 
 
 pull me, pull me from my sinne, 
 < ) rid me, set me free. 
 
 The good are glad in thee ; thy lour 
 They long and looke tor still : 
 
THE SECOND SONG. 
 
 They walke to thee, they talke of thee, 
 And all to doe thy will. 
 
 Graunt this Christ, and then we shall 
 
 Be all in all that is, 
 And thou shalt find that none of vs 
 
 Of thy grace ought to misse. 
 
 shew me, whom my soule doth loue, 
 Where thou dost feed at noone : 
 
 (3 why should I thus freet, and feele 
 The losse of thee so soone. 
 
 THE SECOND SOtfG. 
 Christ speakes to his Sp 
 
 THOU my church, whom I doe loue 1 
 
 Eor who I shed my blond, 
 If thou knowe not what thou dost crane 
 
 And hast not seene the good : 
 
 Then get thee to those flockes of mine 
 Where as they feed by those 
 
 Whom I haue sett as giuds for'theni 
 That I in loue haue chose. 
 
 There feed and fatt thy selfe with foode, 
 That sublets doe touch, dor tast ; 
 
80 SONGS 0] CO 
 
 Ami tunc their soules in thankes to tne 
 For loue that aye doth last. 
 
 For deere thou art to me my loue, 4 
 
 . For shape, for strength, for speede : 
 That none is like to thee my deere 
 In thought, in word, in deede. 
 
 Those parts of thee where loue doth looke 5 
 
 Are set with pearls of grace, 
 "With stones of price, with chaynes of worth : 
 
 I loue to see thy face. 
 
 These signes of loue, are seales to thee, 6 
 
 "What shall be thine else where, 
 
 "When thou shalt shine in bliss with me 
 spouse, my loue most deere ! 
 
 There spangs, and specks of gold most pure 7 
 
 Tie add to all the rest : 
 There shalt thou loue, and Hue with me 
 
 And eke for aye be blest. 
 
THE ill t i;n SOITG. SI 
 
 THE THIRD SONU. 
 The Spouse speahes to Iter mates. 
 
 EE nowe all ye that loue the Lord 1 
 
 Ye nymphes, ye mayds of grace, 
 Whiles that my Lord and king nowe 
 seemes 
 Farre of from me in place. 
 
 And is in midst of troopes of saincts 2 
 
 On highe where he doth dwell ; 
 Where all doe tend on him in lone, 
 
 Where all things sure goes well. 
 
 Yet see his grace doth stoope to me, 3 
 
 I feele him with me here ; 
 By power of spright, by gifts of light, 
 
 He comes to me most neen 
 
 And though I be much ioy to him, 
 
 Yet he is all to me ; 
 As bunch of myrrhe twixt both my breasts, 
 
 So sweete to hart is he. 
 
 Oh is there ought in the wide world 5 
 
 That smells, that smiles as he ? 
 Ah sweete, ah sweete, my soule doth feele 
 
 His loue a life to mc. 
 523 
 
82 SONGS OF SIOX. 
 
 His loue laycl close to my poore hart 6 
 
 To sence giues such a touch, 
 That for his loue to dye, to dye, 
 
 I would not thinke it much. 
 
 Watch then and wayte ye maids that mournc, 
 
 For this my loue will come ; 
 And iudge he will in truth, and power 
 
 The folke, both all and some. 1 
 
 THE FOURTH SOXd. 
 
 Christ speahes to his Spouse. 
 EEKE spouse, noe loue is lost on me, 
 To me thou art most sweete : 
 To sec thee clad in clothes of grace 
 "With rings, and roabs most meete. 
 
 I ioy, I like, I loue thee deere, 2 
 
 Howe faire, how fresh art thou ! 
 None like to thee in shine of face, 
 
 As I looke on thee nowe. 
 
 Howe chast, howe choice art thou my deere ! 3 
 Thine eies like doues doe looke. 
 
 1 = the race and the individual. G. 
 624 
 
TI1E FOURTH SONG. o 
 
 Thine hart, thy mind, thy thoughts, thy all, 
 I write the in my booke. 
 
 The Spouse speakes to Chris f. 
 
 Nay thou my cleere, thou art the cheefe, 
 The choice, the sunne, the shine ! 
 
 From thee Christ, I haue these raies, 
 Tor they are none of mine. 
 
 Thou art Christ, full of this grace, 
 
 Thou art the sea, the spring ; 
 And from thee I doe take these streames 
 
 And to thee the doe bring- 
 As thankes for all thy loue to me, 
 
 And to thy saincts each one ; 
 "Who troope in bands to scrue thee still, 
 
 Though here they weepe, and mone. 
 
 For they are sure to rest in blisse 
 When thou shalt call them home 
 
 From out this sea of sobs and sighes 
 That doth soe frett and fome. 
 
 525 
 
84 -iv<, s ,11 siok. 
 
 THE FIFT SONG. 
 Christ speaJces to his Spouse. 
 
 EERE spouse, I am both faire and 
 sweete : 
 Of field I am the rose, 
 And sure all such as Hue by me, 
 Full choice I am to those. 
 
 All thinges else that this world hath, be 
 Vile weeds, which are most base : 
 
 I am the sweet, the sence, the smell, 
 That yeald them all the grace. 
 
 And thou loue art mongst the maids 
 All choice and eheefe in vewe : 
 
 Nought in the earth is like to thee. 
 In face, in shine, in hue. 
 
 The Spouse sjjeakes to Christ. 
 
 thou my deare, that one I loue 
 
 Thou art the tree of life ; 
 Thy shade let sheeld me from all harms 
 
 And I will be thy wife. 
 
 Thou with thy spright shalt lead me forth 
 To the sweete streames of good, 
 626 
 
THE SIXX SONG. 85 
 
 Ann [ shall be fresht with thy loue, 
 W rought to me in thy bloud. 
 
 stay me, stay me, take a care, G 
 
 cheare my soule that faints ; 
 come for I am sicke of loue 
 
 To Hue in midst of saincts. 
 
 put thy left hand to my head 7 
 
 Thy right hand to my side ! 
 < ) stay me vp both head aud hart, 
 
 And still be thou my guide. 
 
 THE SIXT SONG. 
 
 The Spouse speakes. 
 
 CHARGE ye you soules of saincts, 
 
 By roes and hindes of loue, 
 Take heed howe you doe vexe and greeu e 
 The spright of my sweete doue. 
 
 Take heed you wrong not his great name, 2 
 
 With life soe leaud, so vaine, 
 And doe not dare to moue his ire, 
 
 Who would sane you so fayne. 
 
 Loe I doe call, and lie doth heare, 3 
 
 A nd sends to me his voice ; 
 
86 SONGS OF SIGN. 
 
 My moQts of shines, ami hills of shame 
 Haue not soe lowd a noice. 
 
 Xoe roe, noe hinde, soe swift ca rune 
 Nor make such speede as he : 
 
 When I doe call, or crie for him, 
 He comes, he runnes to me. 
 
 The Spouse speakes. 
 
 And though this vaile of my hase flesh 
 
 A full sight bares me fro, 
 Yet with mine eye of faith, I looke 
 
 On him that loues me soe. 
 
 I see him as in a cleare glasse, 
 
 I see him shine full bright ; 
 Through grates of words and gates of life, 
 
 My soule of him hath sight. 
 
 And nowe me thinkes I heare him speake 
 
 And thus to me doth say : 
 church, spouse, lift vp thy head 
 
 faire one come thy way. 
 
 628 
 
THE SEUENTH SONG. 87 
 
 THE SEUENTH SONG. 
 
 Christ speakes. 
 
 HE storme is past of greefe and woe, 1 
 
 The spring of ioy is seenc : 
 And all things nowe are fresh and faire 
 And full, and newe, and a,reene. 
 
 On highe is ioy, on earth is peace, 
 
 To men a great good will ; 
 And all the quire of saincts doe sing 
 
 To shewe their loue, their skill. 
 
 Not huds, but figgs and fruits are seene 
 
 Of grace, of ioy, of loue ; 
 come my deere, shake of thy sleepe, 
 
 Come on my milke white doue. 
 
 let me heare thy voice my deere 
 
 plye me with thy plaints, 
 looke thou vp though face he sad 
 
 He place thee with my saincts. 
 
 all ye that wishe well to me, 
 And to my church and name, 
 
 Put fi o my deere all those that seekc 
 Her faith, her loue to blame. 
 
 529 
 
soxos 
 The Spouse speahs. 
 
 I i! be is mil;.- by faith and trust, 
 
 And I am his by loue. 
 We both are one by his great powi 
 
 I long to see my doue. 
 
 O come as swift as loe or hind 
 
 y\y loue, my life to me : 
 Till day doe breake, till surme doe shine, 
 
 Till shade of death doth flee. 1 
 
 1 Following these are two Wank leaves, ae before, and 
 so throughout between each piece and reverse of title- 
 pages : not marked further. G. 
 
 530 
 
A Canticle, or song. 
 
 Of the third & fourth chapters 
 of the song of Solomon being Meta- 
 phrased into Monosylables of Great Brittains 
 language, & is to be vsed by euery deuout 
 soule in his priuat conference 
 with his god. 
 
 And is set to the tune of 
 Eelpt lord for good, $ godly men, 
 Psal. XII. 
 
To his much esteemed good frend, Mr. Isaac Lee, 
 one of the assistants of the most worthy com- 
 panie of the Marchant- Adventurers, residing at 
 Hanib. 
 
 Encrease of Glory, 
 
 ['ORE the much beloued, When God brought 
 man forth at the first, he put him not 
 into a wildernes, but into a garden, a 
 paradise and place of pleasure. "VVherby I see 
 that his sacred maiestie did not reioyce in the 
 misery, but in the delight and happines of his 
 creatures. Chcerefulnes therefore pleascth God 
 better then dulues, dumpishnes, and heauines of 
 hart. Let vs be godly and good in our pleasures, 
 and it will neuer displease our Maker ; neither 
 will he grudge or repine at our joy. To this pur- 
 pose haue I framed certayne hymns for the priuat 
 solace of such as shall take delight there in. One 
 portion whereof I have consecrated to you. Let 
 yt'haue acceptance of you by your practice of yt. 
 I expect no other guerdon for my paines. For 
 the Highest knowes with what an honest hart I 
 532 
 
EPISTLE -DEDICATORY. 91 
 
 composed this and the rest, and what a desire I 
 had in the framing thereof for the good of many. 
 I haue euer hated [that] Epicurean resolution : 
 ' Let vs eate and drinke, to morrowe we shall 
 dye'. But I haue euer loued entyrely [that] 
 Christian exhortacion : ' Let vs pray, and praise 
 God, to morrowe we shall Hue '. Lor to loue, is to 
 Hue, and where we loue, there we Hue. If we 
 loue God, we shall Hue in him by our prayers, 
 by our prayses, and all by one Spirit. then 
 let vs so loue him, that we may Hue in him in our 
 daylie voices, that they may be hard to his glory, 
 our comfoit, and good example of our brethren. 
 The God of heauen ioy your hart in all your life, 
 and in your death, that we may all meete to sing 
 together in the quire of heauen with the angeUs 
 in the sauing mercies of our Sauiour Christ. 
 Yours much more then mine owne, 
 
 W. Loe. 
 
 533 
 
THE FIRST SPEACH. 
 
 The Spouse speahes to Christ. 
 
 N bed I sought my loue by night, 
 But could not find him there, 
 I sought him, but he was farre off, 
 And did not come me neere. 
 
 I rose, and walkt the streates to see 
 
 If my soule could him find 
 Whom I did want, yet found I not 
 
 The day-starre of my mind. 
 
 The ra I straight to those that teach 
 And watch and waite for me, 
 
 And sayd to the, ca ye shewe nowe 
 Where I my loue might see. 
 
 And thus halfe spent with care and cost, 
 My soule gan faint and faile : 
 
 Loe then my loue did shewe himselfe : 
 And would not let me quaile. 
 
 So that by a newe acte of faith 
 I sawe where he was not. 
 534 
 
THE SECOND SPEECH. 93 
 
 We inisse him in our beds of rest, 
 The world is not his lott. 
 
 The streets are strayts of cost and care 6 
 
 "Where we doe lose him quite ; 
 But in the Word, and soule of man 
 
 We feele him in his might. 
 
 But whe I found him, hold I tooke 7 
 
 Fast hold on him I layd, 
 Noe more to part with him at all : 
 
 Then he to me thus sayd. 
 
 THE SECOND SBEACH. 
 
 Christ speaker to his Spouse. 
 
 OWE that my spouse hath toyld all night 
 And lokt and longd for me, 
 I charge you all that are my frends, 
 And looke to Hue in glee. 
 
 Stirre her not vp, nor wake my deere 2 
 
 With toyes, or tales of yore, 
 But let her rest in peace and ioy, 
 
 And vexe her nowe noe more. 
 
 Oh who is this that comes so faire 
 From out the foule world's lane, 
 63J 
 
94 SONGS OF SIOX. 
 
 And hath shakt of[f] her slough of sinne 
 That would haue beene her bane ? 
 
 It is my Church, my chaire of state 
 
 "Where I doe loue to be : 
 It is my doue, my stay, my deero, 
 
 It glads me her to see : 
 
 That is so quitt from world of woe, 
 From sinke of sinne and shame ; 
 
 She seekes to me for all her wants, 
 Shee trusts to my great name : 
 
 She smells as myrrh and spice of cost 
 Gracd with my chaines of loue ; 
 
 She is my spouse, no spott she hath, 
 She is my milke-whit doue. 
 
 All faire and full of grace most bright 
 She comes, she runs to me : 
 
 Come on my deere, make thou noe stay, 
 Thy loue, thy life to see. 
 
 b'iC 
 
THE TIT1ED SPEECH. 95 
 
 THE THIRD SPEACH. 
 
 The Spouse spea/ces. 
 
 NO WE my soule thou hast a glyraso 1 
 Of ioy that is on high ! 
 [ blest aie they that vewe it all, 
 Or doe that place come nighe. 
 
 The courts on earth of kings most greate 2 
 
 Are rich and rare to vewc ; 
 But this, where my Christ rules and raignes, 
 
 For aye is fame and newe. 
 
 The gard of this great court of state 3 
 
 Are saincts and sprightes of might, 
 
 That doe his will at all his beckes, 
 And dwell with him in light. 
 
 The courts of kings are made with hands 4 
 
 Their care, their cost is vaine ; 
 But here's a Court not made by me 
 
 "Where my sweete Christ doe raigne. 
 
 The Spouses speaketh. \_sic~] 
 
 He in him selfe is all the state, 5 
 
 He giues his Court the grace ; 
 He is the light, the bight, the all, 
 
 That is still iu that place. 
 527 
 
96 SONGS OF SIOX. 
 
 Come forth ye saincts of God in Christ, 6 
 
 And see this court of rayes : 
 take a vewe of this your life, 
 
 seeke it all your dayes. 
 
 Christ is your Bride groome, and you are, 7 
 
 To him a spouse most bright ; 
 He hath you bought with bloud most deere 
 
 And gaynd you with his might. 
 
 THE FOURTH SPEACH. 
 Christ specifies to his Spouse. 
 OWE faire art thou my deare, my spouse 1 
 With out, and eke with in ! 
 Howe voyd of filth or spotts of shame, 
 Of sinke or stinch of sinne ! 
 
 For I doe purge thee of the same, 2 
 
 My word doth make thee free, 
 And they that teach to thee my lore 
 Are all most sweet to thee. 
 
 Their speach is full of grace and loue, 5 
 
 To those that heare the same ; 
 Their words are impt 1 with zeale of loue 
 
 To keepe thee fro all blame. 
 
 1 An ' imp ' is a graft or shoot inserted into a tree : 
 53S 
 
THE FOfJiTH SPEACH. 97 
 
 Those that doe rule and giude the stearno 4 
 
 Are as the necke to head : 
 They are both strong and stout to gard 
 
 The soules that they haue fed. 
 
 The two sweet bookes of league most newe 5 
 Are breasts full fraught with milke, 
 
 And all that sucke the ioyes of the 
 Are clad in robes of silke. 
 
 That is the grace of saincts, and such 
 
 Shall shine in rayes of rest : 
 Till day doth dawne, and shad[e] doth fade, 
 
 And they for aye be blest. 
 
 Thus art thou faire, my loue in me, 
 
 In thee there is noe spott : 
 I will in blisse sett thee my deere, 
 
 Cleane voyd of sinne or bJott 
 
 hence to ' engraft ' and hence, as here, to add and so to 
 strengthen. So Shakespeare " imp out our drooping 
 country's broken wings" (Richard II. ii. 1) and Milton 
 " her broken league to imp her serpent wings" (Sonnets 
 X. 8.) These two quotations remind us that the term was 
 originally used of the Falconer's repairing of the hawk's 
 wing by adding feathers. G. 
 
93 sowus ov sion. 
 
 THE FIFT SPEACH. 
 
 Christ spcahes still. 
 
 NO WE my loue I hauc thee sought, 
 
 And brought thee fro the lands ; 
 I hauc the[e] led in hands of grace 
 From out the curse and bands. 
 
 To me from all parts of the earth 
 I will the[e] guide and call ; 
 
 And quite 1 thou shalt be fro the bauds 
 Of them that did thee thrall : 
 
 "Who once did vexe and greeue thee sore, 
 
 In bane, in bloud, in woe ; 
 But I will saue thee safe from them, 
 
 And rid thee from thy foe. 
 
 For thou my hart hast caught with loue, 
 
 One cast of thy faire eie, 
 Of faith I meane, doth wound my hart, 
 
 Which made me faint and die. 
 
 Christ speahes still. 
 
 All sweets the world can yeald to me 
 Are banes to thy sweet smell ; 
 
 quit, released. Gr. 
 140 
 
THE SIXT SPEACH. 99 
 
 Thou art my spouse, in life and death, 
 The graue shall not thee quell. 
 
 The words which from, thy lipps doe droppe 6 
 
 When thou dost pray or praise, 
 Are farre more sweet to me then sweets 
 
 That sunne doth sec by dayes. 
 
 Thou art a spring to me shutt vp, 7 
 
 A well seald by my ring : 
 Fro whece doth flowe pure streames of loue, 
 
 To me thy lord and king. 
 
 THE SIXT SPEACH. 
 
 Christ spea/ces. 
 
 HOTJ art closd vp my spouse, my deere 1 
 That none might doe thee ill ; 
 That force of foes, nor rage of feds, 1 
 
 On thee might doe their will. 
 
 That noe wild boore of wood, so fell, 
 Thy rootes, thy plants might marre 
 
 For I looke on thee with mine eies, 
 And vewe their ire a farre. 
 
 = fiends. G. 
 641 
 
100 SONGS OF SION. 
 
 Thy plants are like sweet fruits of choice 
 
 My deere ones all they are, 
 Of thee and them, as of mine eies 
 
 I watch and haue a care. 
 
 Sweet sent as myrrhe and cane ye yeald, 
 As all oheefe spice of choice : 
 
 So are thy plants deere, to me, 
 For they doe heare my voice. 
 
 For tast, for touch, for smell, for he we, 
 Thy fruits are all most pure, 
 
 I ioy to see them in this plight, 
 And in my loue so sure. 
 
 From thee spouse doth flowe full farre 
 Thy streames to dales and hills, 
 
 And I the spring doe flowe to thee 
 To fill thy spouts, thy rills. 
 
 Who so of thee doth drink is drencht, 
 And thirsts no more for aie : 
 
 Thou art the streames of God, to flowe, 
 To soules that faint in wayc. 
 
 .512 
 
THE SEUENTH SPEACH. 101 
 
 THE SEUENTH SPEACH. 
 
 Tlie Church speahes to Christ. 
 
 F I be then so sweet my deere 1 
 
 My Christ, my God, my Loue, 
 The breathe on me with thy sweet breath, 
 That it my hart may moue. 
 
 all ye powers of my sweete God 
 Blowe on me North and South, 
 
 That these my plants of my poore soule 
 May blest be by his mouth. 
 
 And make the sweet to him, as are 3 
 
 The plants of loue and grace : 
 So shall my loue ioy still to come, 
 
 And glad him in this place. 
 
 Tea he will come to me, his owne 4 
 
 Which he hath bought full deere, 
 
 And will take of the fruit that he 
 Hath made to him so neere. 
 
 Christ speakes. 
 
 1 come my loue to thee, myne own 5 
 As thou hast cald to me : 
 
 And as thou wilt, so will I take 
 These fruits, a part of thee. 
 543 
 
102 
 
 SONGS OF SION. 
 
 I see thy workes, thy -words, thy thoughts 
 
 They all to me are sweet, 
 For they are mine, I gaue the thee, 
 
 And all else that is meete. 
 
 !N"owe all ye hlest of me, and saincts 
 Cheere vp and glad your mind, 
 
 That yett in this deere loue of mine 
 Such grace and loue doe find. 
 
OF 
 
 A Canticle, or song 
 Betweene Christ, & his church 
 of the fift, and sixt chapters of the Song of 
 Solomon, metaphrased into Monosyl- 
 lahls of Great Brittains language, & is to 
 he vsed hy every deuout soule in his 
 j riuat conference with 
 his god. 
 And is set to the tune of 
 Lord be my iudcje, and thou shalt see. 
 Psal. CXXVI. 
 
To his much esteemed good frend Mr. "Walter 
 Pell, one of the assistants of the most worthy 
 ( opanie of the marchants- Adventurers, resi- 
 ding at Hamb : 
 
 Ioy of both worlds, 
 
 E^^^IOUING frend, If you would die well, 
 1 W&sk y ou must endeuour to Hue well. Then 
 ^'- agEaall let your death be neuer so suddaine, it 
 
 will not come vnexpected, neither will you be 
 vnprepared. The daies and houers of daies that 
 you haue spent in Gods seruice, either in praying 
 or praysing him shalbe so many cordialls of com- 
 forts and consciences of well led purposes, and 
 will so take vp your hart in ioye and solace, that 
 noe terrour of death, or darkenes shall appale yt. 
 Who would not then be busie in this so serious, so 
 sacred a busines ? Let vs neuer thinke to be 
 soundly merry, if this be not our musique. Rea- 
 son and Religion guides vs here vnto. For veary 
 Reason sheweth vnto vs that we must all die, and 
 Religion enlighteneth vs howe we may die well. 
 Fooles iudge actions by euents, but the wise forsee 
 by iudgmel ol reason and faith, what will inevi- 
 546 
 
EPISXLE-PEDICATOKY. 
 
 105 
 
 tably ensue. To this purpose all this is sayd, 
 that as 1 haue iu myne endeered loue, sent you an 
 introduction herevnto in this paper-token, so you 
 would accept and practize it. So shall I euer rest 
 your votary, praying to God for your eternal hap- 
 pines in Christ Iesus, his sauing mercies. 
 Your perpetuall votaiy, 
 
 W. Loe. 
 
 547 
 
THE FIRST SPEACH. 
 
 Christ speahes to his Spouse. 
 
 AM come clowne spouse most deere, 1 
 
 To take those fruites of thine, 
 Which thou with hart and grace of loue, 
 Dost knowe of erst were mine. 
 
 I haue thought well of all thy workes, 2 
 
 As well of will as deede. 
 I dranke thy wine with millke so sweet, 
 
 With loue they doe me feede. 
 
 you my freds and saincts most blest, 3 
 
 Cheere vp yourselues with me, 
 And ioy your harts with this my spouse, 
 
 Whose cates of love you see. 
 
 The Church speahes. 
 
 When once this world had luld in sleepe 4 
 
 Of sinne, my selfe, my sece, 
 Yet wakt mine hart to Christ my Deere, 
 
 And thou didst drawe me thence. 
 
 417 
 
Till; SECOND SPEACH. 10' 
 
 Christ speakes to Ms Spouse. 
 
 Thou camst to me, and knockst full oft i 
 
 At doore of my poore hart : 
 Thou knockst I say full oft my deere, 
 
 And pearst me with thy dart. 
 
 And saidst He come and lodge with thee, G 
 
 And dwell with thee in grace. 
 Shut out the world, thy sinns, thy shame, 
 
 And let me come in place. 
 
 For all the night I wayte for thee, 7 
 
 My lockes with dropps of paine 
 Are wett, and all to stay for thee 
 
 That I thy loue might gaine. 
 
 THE SECOND SPEACH. 
 
 Tie Church speakes. 
 
 HATTE put of my coate sayd I, 
 Howe shall I put it on ? 
 My feete I washt, shall I them file ? 
 Oh noe, my loue he gone. 
 
 Thus did I plead for my long stay 
 Eor who so loues my deere 
 
 ■349 
 
108 SONGS OF SION. 
 
 Must care, and carke, and strang[e] things 
 tast, 
 Of woe, him to come neere. 
 
 For cleanc of soyle, of woe and ill 
 Who Hues that seekes my deere ? 
 
 No, no, the world will plague the all 
 That serues our Gocl in feare. 
 
 But whe my loue these words did heare 
 He shrunke, and went me fro, 
 
 And hid him selfe, and spake noe more 
 That I had searud him so. 
 
 And then I rouzd my hart, I yearnd 
 
 That had him lost so sone : 
 I rose, and lokt, and chid my selfe 
 
 For that which I had done. 
 
 I sought him, hut he hid him selfe, 
 And would not me come nigh : 
 
 I roard and cride, and vsd all meanes, 
 I card not for to die. 
 
 For that I had lost him my deere 
 That sought me for his doue, 
 
 But yet I foud him not, nor knewe 
 He hard my voice in louc. 
 550 
 
Till: THIRD SPEACH. 109 
 
 THE THIED SPEACH. 
 
 The Church speeches still. 
 
 HE men that should, haue had a care 1 
 They smote, and did me wound ; 
 With words most false and vaine, they 
 sought, 
 To ding 1 me to the ground. 
 
 I charge you all that louc the Lord 2 
 
 If that you shall him find, 
 Tell him howe sicke I am of louc 
 
 In hart, in soule, in mind. 
 
 what — say they — is this thy deere 3 
 
 More then the sonnes of men 
 That thou art thus fane go in loue, 
 
 And aye doe not him ken ? 
 
 My loue sayd I is white and rod, 4 
 
 His face is pure and bright : 
 He is the cheefe and choice of all, 
 
 In him is all the light. 
 
 For God in him is full and faire, 5 
 
 In grace, in face, in all. 
 
 1 A living word i;i Scotland still = cast. G. 
 551 
 
110 SONGS "1 MuX. 
 
 His head fine gold, his lockes faire tloekes, 
 In him there is no gall. 
 
 His eies like doues, full of pure loue 
 
 His cheeks are beds of spice ; 
 His lips are sweet as flowers in May, 
 
 To me he is most 1 nice. 
 
 His hads are sett with port 2 and price, 
 Pure myrrhe doth dropp him fro : 
 
 His will is rule of truth aud faith : 
 This is most true I knowe. 
 
 THE FOURTH SPEACH. 
 
 The Spouses speaketh. \_sic~] 
 
 i£A all his acts are firme and strong 1 
 As sett in gold most sure : 
 No she we of change, but streight and 
 cleere 
 Both sound, and safe, and pure. 
 
 1 Misprinted 'not'. G. 
 
 2 port = state or splendor. So Shakespeare, Taming 
 of the Shrew (i. 1) 
 
 " Thou shalt be master, Tranio in my stead : 
 Keep house, and port, and servants as I should" : 
 ei alibi. Sec onward for ' port ' again. G. 
 45l> 
 
THE FOURTH SPEACH. ] 11 
 
 His mouth is as sweet things of choice, 2 
 
 Fro.whece doth Howe my hlysse : 
 
 He is all sweet, in part, in whole, 
 And I poore soule am his. 
 
 A forraigne congregatio speahes. 
 
 Since then deere such is thy loue, 3 
 
 Shewe vs where he is found, 
 And we will seeke this loue with thee, 
 
 In all the world so round. 
 
 For noe, hut thee church ca'st him 4 
 
 Make knowne, in word, in deed : 
 
 tell vs then, and we will ioyne, 
 And he shall be our meede. 
 
 The sayd I to those that him sought 5 
 
 He is gone downe to he 
 In beds of spice, with soules and saincts: 
 
 That is my loue, that's he. 
 
 Yea I am his in his sweet loue, 6 
 
 And he is mine by faith : 
 In spight of hell, or sinne, or shame 
 
 His word to me so saith. 
 
 Cd3 
 
112 SONGS OF S102T. 
 
 And botli of vs arc one in God, 
 
 And knitt in soule and spright, 
 By lone most swcete and ioy of hart 
 [ line still in his sigh t. 
 
 THE FIFT SPEACH. 
 Christ speahes to his Church. 
 
 HOP/ thou my Church did'st me not 
 seeke, 1 
 
 But putts me fane thee fro, 
 Yet nowe thou dost looke back to me, 
 I will not seruo thee so. 
 
 But I will come and dwell with thee 2 
 
 In grace, in loue, in awe. 
 I will thee ioy, in mirth and glee, 
 
 And teach to thee my lawe. 
 
 Turne backe thine eies fro me my deere 3 
 
 That art thus fixt on me, 
 Thy strength of faith doth ioy me so, 
 
 That I mind none but thee. 
 
 The men that feede thy soule witli footle 4 
 
 Haue all_one hart, one tongue, 
 They tune all like a quire of saincts, 
 
 They sound forth all one songe. 
 554 
 
THE SIXT SPEACH. 113 
 
 So that their paines arc not in vaine, 5 
 
 They bring to me much fruit : 
 They cry and call to me for helpe, 
 
 And I doe heare their suite. 
 
 Thy locks, thy lookes, are seene so faire 6 
 
 Thy blush, thy smile so sweet, 
 That I doe ioy in them that teach 
 
 Those tilings that are so mcete. 
 
 Though kings and queens, and all folk else 7 
 
 }[y name and loue doe vse, 
 Yet on thee, on thee loue, I looke, 
 
 On thee, I thinke, I muse. 
 
 THE SIXT SPEACH. 
 Christ speakes to his Spouse. 
 HOTJ art my spouse, most chast, most 
 
 pure 1 
 
 Whom all the world doth loue : 
 Thou art my deere, my peere, my ioy, 
 Koe spott in thee my doue. 
 
 Those that doe looke and see thy face 2 
 
 l)o praise and plaud thee still, 
 And bless thee that hast God thy Lord, 
 
 And didst yeald to his will. 
 
114 BONGS OF SION". 
 
 And thus they say, rapt with thy state 
 What's shoe, so faire as morne ? 
 
 So pure as siine, so bright as mone, 
 Of what state is shee borne ? 
 
 Her face is faire through force of faith, 
 She is most bright in heue : 
 
 Yea in her looks is feare and dread 
 To cause her foes to rue. 
 
 The Spouse speakes to Christ. 
 
 And thus all gast 1 and rapt with sight 
 Of thy sweet port 2 and state, 
 
 They stand in stond all pale and wan, 
 For thee they can not mate. 
 
 Noe more then glympse of stair ca dashe 
 
 The sune in height of skye, 
 Or light on earth, the mone at full 
 
 Can darke, or once come nigh. 
 
 Cheare vp thy selfe my loue I say, 
 For though thou didst me miss, 
 
 I nieane not thee my loue to leauc, 
 For all the world that is. 
 
 1 Transition-form of 'aghast'. G-. 
 
 2 = carriage, or behaviour. See former note. 
 
 556 
 
THE SEVENTH SPEACH. 11 
 
 THE SETJENTH SPEACH. 
 
 Christ speakes to his Spouse. 
 DID but go to see my vine 1 
 
 Howe it did bud and sprout, 
 To see what fruits my plants did yeald 
 And howe they were come out. 
 
 And no we I see they bud and blooe, 2 
 
 And yeald me fruit good store : 
 He care for them, and they for me, 
 
 That they may haue the more. 
 
 The soides that came to me of late, 4 
 
 I prune, I plash, 1 I purge, 
 That they may bring forth larre more fruite 
 
 With this my rod, and scourge. 
 
 And nowe they are well growne my deere, 5 
 
 I hast, I runne to thee ; 
 With speed at need I hast, I post, 
 
 With wings of wind to see. 
 
 What thou dost want, or wouldst nowe haue 6 
 Speake loue, I'le giue thee it. 
 
 i Qy = to water, and hence as in Shakespeare, ' a shallow 
 plash ' (Taming cif Shrew 1. i.) but Thomas Wright says 
 'To interweave branches of a tree: to cut and lay a 
 hedge '. G. 
 
 557 
 
116 SOXGS OF SIOX. 
 
 Thou slialt not feare my loue to thee, 
 In rest by thee I'le sitt. 
 
 Come then my loue to me full fast, 
 Let all sainets ioy and sing : 
 
 To house of God Tie safe and sound 
 My deere shall my loue bring. 1 
 
 Nowe all ye sainets and soules on high 
 Looke, see, fixe fast your eie, 
 
 On this my loue; marke well her grace, 
 jSTo fault in her I spie. 
 
 1 The moaning is. clear, though here and elsewhere, the 
 grammatical structure be faulty. G. 
 
A Canticle, ur Song. 
 
 Of the seuenth, & eight chap- 
 ters of the song of Solomon being 
 
 Metaphrased into Monosylabls of jjivat 
 
 Brittains language, & is to he vsed by 
 
 euery deuout soule in his priuat 
 
 conference with 
 his god 
 
 And is sett to the tunc of 
 
 Giue thanks vnto the lord our god. 
 
 Ps.vl evil. 
 
To his much esteemed good fiend, Mr. "William 
 Walcot, niarehant, one of the most worthie 
 copanie of Marchant Adventurers, residing at 
 Hamborough. 
 
 Happiness for eiter . 
 
 IND frend, Forced fauours were euer 
 sleighted and thankles. But voluntary 
 respects had euer with the best and 
 most noble minds, courteous acceptace, howe 
 small and meane soeuer the thing was. For a 
 ma to giue his soule to his Creator when he sees 
 he must dye, and his goods to the poore, when he 
 sees he must part with them pand to forgoe our 
 sinne, whe we can noe longer followe yt, are cold, 
 yea vnkind obediences. But for a young man to 
 remember his creator in the daies of his youth, 
 and in his best and strongest age to bequeath 
 himself euery day to God in prayer and praise, is 
 that reasonable and seasonable sacrifice where 
 with the Most High is most pleased. To this 
 purpose, and noe other, God knoweth, I haue 
 tendered these voluntary Fssaies to diuerse of my 
 
EPISTLE-DEDICATORY. 1 19 
 
 masters and table-brothers. Let me not sceme to 
 be officious, while I desire to doe good, and ex- 
 presse my loue. For as vnto the rest so vnto you, 
 Beloued, 1 haue I sent this parcell Receaue yt, 
 as I meane yt, both with hand and hart, and 
 then I am assured, it will neuer repent you of 
 your acceptation, nor me of my dedication. The 
 great Lord keeper of heauen and earth keepe you 
 in his feare all the daies of your life, and preserve 
 you for his sauving mercies in Christ Jesus in the 
 end of your life and for euer. 
 
 Tours in Christ to be required, 
 
 W. Loe. 
 
 1 An unintelligible word follows here, viz ' Ga-naunt '. G. 
 
 561 
 
THE FIRST SPEACH. 
 Christ speaketh. 
 
 EE. feet are sweet, her gate a grace, 
 All shod with Peace and Truth, 
 Of God's owne spell to runne the race 
 
 Fio hane, end woe, and ruth. 
 
 Her loynes are girt fast with the same, 
 
 The price of it is rare, 
 The skill is franicl with hand of might, 
 
 All full of cost and care. 
 
 Her wombe like a round cup that wants 
 Noe wiue to cheere her* plants ; 
 
 As heaps of wheate set all with flowers, 
 Pure graynes to helpe our wats. 
 
 Her breast the two sweet leagues of grace 
 
 Are as to twins of birth, 
 Whose milke doth feede the babs of God 
 
 "Which dwell here on the earth. 
 
 Those that doe rule, aud guide her folke 
 Like necke doth beare vp head : 
 
 562 
 
THE SECOND SPEA( K. 121 
 
 So those doe stay as lower of strength 
 Till they at full are fed. 
 
 Her eies are like two fouls m | 
 
 fu which we may well see q 
 
 Our selues in face, in fact, in faith, 
 
 And drawe thence life and glee. 
 
 Her nose from whence we sent 1 the good 7 
 
 Is as some tower of state, 
 For she can iudg and find it out 
 
 From tyme to tyme past date. 
 
 THE SECOND SPEACH. 
 Christ speakes still. 
 
 Ell tire of head is full of grace 
 To all that doe it see ; 
 And I am tyde by mine owne will 
 loue to be with thee. 
 
 loue howe full in all thy parts 
 
 Dwells loue and life by me : 
 Howe sweet aud faire art thou 
 "When I doe looke on thee. 
 
 Thy growth is like a pain 
 
 For prest, thou dost rise more : 
 
 1 Scent. G. 
 563 
 
122 songs or siox. 
 
 Thy teats are full of milke aud mirth, 
 And yeald thy babes great store. 
 
 I said I will goe to my tree 
 And ioyne me to my palme, 
 
 And make it yeald all salues for sores 
 To cure all wounds, as balme. 
 
 Christ sjjeach still. 
 
 Aud I will cause her for to yeald 
 
 Good workes of faith and life ; 
 And with her power to driue fro her 
 
 The siunes that are so rife. 
 
 The soules that thirsts shall haue their fill, 
 Her words shall spring as wine : 
 
 By mouthes of those that teach my lore, 
 And preach those lawes of mine. 
 
 Yea they shall cause the lipps of him 
 That sleeps and snorts in sinne 
 
 To speake, and praise the God of life 
 That rouzd him from that din. 
 
THE THIRD SPEACH. 123 
 
 THE THIRD STEACH, 
 The Church speakes. 
 iQjjUCH as I am, I am not mine, 1 
 
 But his that loud me decre, 
 In none but him will I be glad, 
 None but him will I feare. 
 
 For he once gaue him selfe for me, 2 
 
 And made of me his ch 
 Him will I heare, he is my deere, 
 
 It's life to heare his voice. 
 
 come my loue, letts lodg all night 3 
 
 In fields ; in townes, letts goe, 
 And see how all our flockes doe feede 
 
 Letts runne as swift as roe. 
 
 Vp to the vices letts hast in morne, 4 
 
 Aud vewe howe they doe bud, 
 And see the signes of fruits and grace, 
 
 And looke if they be good. 
 
 For hence we shall knowe full our tymc 5 
 
 When we shall ioyne in one, 
 In all the blissc that I haue made 
 
 To quitt thee of thy mono. 
 
 -See loue thy plants both in them selues 6 
 
 Doe bud and bloome most fresh, 
 
124 SONGS OF si OX. 
 
 And yeald a sent to moe them by 
 That are but young, and neshe. 1 
 
 All plants that growe in vs I keepe, 
 Both old and young I loue ; 
 
 And all for thee Christ my God 
 Thy grace and lookes to moue. 
 
 THE FOURTH SPEACH. 
 
 Tlie old Jewish Church spedkeih. 
 
 THAT I might my Christ once see 
 Clad in this flesh of mine, 
 I And find him here on earth to dwell 
 Made once, once of my line. 
 
 The would I kisse and cull my deere 
 The world could not me touch ; 
 
 But if it did I would not passe, 
 Nor think of it too much. 
 
 Then would I bring thee to the light 
 Though nowe pent vp in darke, 
 
 And then thou shouldst me teach to know 
 My Christ, my God, by marke. 
 
 = tender : query, transition-form of nice ? ' G. 
 506 
 
THE FIFT Sl'i H !!. lL'j 
 
 Then would I feast thee with the best 4 
 
 With cupps of loue and grace, 
 The would the soules in Christ be glad 
 
 To vewe our rest and place. 
 
 TJie old Jewish Church speaketh. 
 
 His left hand then should stay my head, 5 
 
 His right hand stay my hart, 
 And the I would not feare the world 
 
 Nor hell nor death, his dart. 
 
 His heat would giue me life halfe dead, 
 
 And raise me vp cleane gone ; 
 His light would make me shine like pearle : 
 
 like him there is none. 
 
 I charge ye ye saincts that loue 7 
 
 Dare not to greeue my deere, 
 Nor once to stirre him vp in ire, 
 
 But lerne his wrath to feare. 
 
 THE TIFT Sl'EACH. 
 Christ speaketh. 
 
 HO is this that from denns of sinne 
 From lusts and life most leaud, 
 Doth band her selfe gainst all the ill. 
 
 And shewes her wrath and feud. 
 
 567 
 
126 SONGS OF slow. 
 
 I'st not my church ? it is slice 
 
 Whom I haue loud of old ! 
 And did her take from powers of hell 
 
 When she was bought and 
 
 And her fro ire of sinne and shame 
 Where shee had falne from me, 
 
 I raise! to life from depth of hell 
 I quitt, I sett her free. 
 
 For there by faith she leand on me, 
 
 And I to her gaue way. 
 Then shee to me did ope her hart, 
 
 And thus to me did say. 
 
 The Jewisch [sic] Church speaheth. 
 
 sett me as a signe, a seale 
 
 On hart, on arme, on alh 
 hold me deere, my lone, my Christ 
 
 For I to thee doe call. 
 
 Let naught me moue from my sweet loue 
 Lest greefe me gore, and woe, 
 
 For the least shade when thou art gone 
 Doth shew to me my foe. 
 
 The zeale where with I loue my deere 
 Is like the graue most fell, 
 $68 
 
THE SIXT SPEACH. 121 
 
 And burncs me vp like coles of fire, 
 To sane my soule from bell. 
 
 THE SIXT STEACH. 
 
 The Jewish Church speaketh. 
 
 EA more then fire n flame it is 
 
 ]S"oe source can quench this loue, 
 
 "Noe paines, noe gaines, or loss, or crosse 
 Erom bim my bart can moue. 
 
 Xoe wealth, noe peclfe, noe feare, no force 2 
 
 All this I scorne should me 
 Once moue, to thinke, or ioy in ought 
 
 But in his grace and glee. 
 
 "We baue a plant, deere loue thou knowst 3 
 
 The church that thou bast chose, 
 From out the iles so farre fro heee : 
 
 we would not her lose. 
 
 She is but smale of growth as yet, 4 
 
 Eor want of thy good grace ; 
 But if thou cast a looke on her, 
 
 And let her see thy face. 
 
 Howe fresh, howe faire will she come forth, 5 
 And growe, and beare to thee 
 SG9 
 
128 
 
 SOXGS l<: 
 
 Her buds, her bloomes, her fruites of faith 
 All good, and fairc to see. 
 
 Christ speaheth. 
 
 If she be firme and fast to me, 6 
 
 As wall, as tower of strength 
 I'le make her pure and sure in league 
 
 By word and deed at length. 
 
 And if she will giue way to me, 7 
 
 And to my words giue eare, 
 I'le make her safe in league of peace, 
 
 And she shall he mv deere. 
 
 THE SEUENTH SPEACH. 
 
 The Jewish Church speaketh. 
 
 HE faith and loue that thou dost seeke 1 
 In her. thou findst in me, 
 My plea of faith found grace and peace, 
 And I was iovnd to thee. 
 
 The want of words to feed thy saincts 
 Which thou in her dost craue 
 
 Is not in me to doe thy will, 
 Howe then should she it haue. 
 570 
 
Tin: SKI "EMU SPE] CH. 
 
 Gratthee to her thy grace in good, 
 And slice will to thee bend ; 
 
 She will thee serue in word and decde 
 If thou thy grace her send. 
 
 Christ speakcth. 
 
 My spouse is as a vine to me, 
 
 She flowers and fruits doth yeald, 
 
 She is the corne that brings me thrift 
 And growes faire in my feild. 
 
 The Jewish church speahth 
 
 My vine shall aye be in my sight, 
 Yea till the world haue end 
 
 I will it dress, and keepe my selfe, 
 And grace and peace it lend. 
 
 Sith thus I care for thee my deere 
 Shew thou thy loue in praise, 
 
 And teach my name, my fame to all, 
 So long as last thy daies. 
 
 The Spouse speaketh. 
 
 If thou my deere wouldst haue me doe 
 As thou hast bid to me, 
 
 r_<) 
 
130 
 
 SONUS OF SIOX. 
 
 Then grat me grace to act the same 
 And thou it soue shalt see. 1 
 
 1 Following this are two blank [leaves, as before : and 
 . this page (104) the pagination ends. G. 
 
 572 
 
A METAPHRASE. 
 
 Of the'first, and second chap- 
 ters of Jeremies Lamentations for 
 the sacking and turning of Jerusalem, and 
 the temple, hy Xebuchadnezer king of 
 Babell, and hy Nebuzaradan the captaine 
 of his gard, put into monsyl- 
 lables of great Brittains 
 language. 
 
 And is set to the tune of 
 J lijt mine hart to thee. 
 
 Psal. XXV. 
 
To his much esteemed good frend, Mr. Edward 
 Meedk, one of the assistants of the most wor- 
 thy companie of Merchants- Aduenturers, resid- 
 ing at Hamborough. 
 
 Grace in this world, and ioy in the other. 
 
 LL happines iu the Lord Jesus, I present 
 vnto you a part of Ieremie's Lamentations 
 metaphrased. You may see herein my 
 true heart unto you all. In the midst of lament- 
 table discotents I tuned my soule, tongue and pen, 
 to the laud of God : and the rather in these Lam- 
 entations, for that they sorted some what to my 
 retired meditations. ( >ne tyme or other all men 
 are not as they would be. It is the condition of 
 God's children. Happie is that man that can vse 
 God's scourge to his amendment. The great 
 Moderator of all things, knowes his children fittest 
 to be made palmes, to be spread with burthens 
 and waights, and not to be^oliues. That so we 
 might more think of our victorie, then of our rest. 
 It is enoughe for vs that we shall once triumph 
 in heauen and rest for all. To this holy rest and 
 574 
 
EPISTLF.-DEDICATOKT. 1,')3 
 
 eternall tranquillity, God giude vs all, into whose 
 blessed keeping I recommend you in Christ sailing 
 mercies, and rest, 
 
 Yours much deuoted, 
 
 W, Loe; 
 
 574 
 
THE FIEST DEPTH. 
 
 Fro dumps and doomes of woo 
 Erorn depth of wrath and ire, 
 
 We call, we crie, we roare Lord, 
 "With zeale as hot as fire. 
 
 Aleph. 
 
 The State where once thy name 
 Was great in light of grace, 
 
 Is led a slaue by force of wane : 
 A curse is in the place. 
 
 Beth. 
 
 Our streeats that flockt with folke 
 
 Most rich, in cloths most N gay, 
 Are nowe made void, and laid full wast Gimel. 
 
 By night, and eke by day. 
 
 We that did rule and raigne, 
 
 •And hrusd the world with might, 
 Doe nowe pay taxe, and tole,- and disme 1 
 By force of armes, in spight. 
 
 1 Tithe or tenth. Once used by Shakespeare, '• many 
 thousand dismes " ^Troilus and Cress., ii, 2.) G. 
 575 
 
THE SECOND DEPTH. 135 
 
 We weepe full sore all night, 
 
 By day our teares doe fall : He. 
 
 Our eies are sore, our cheek es are wett, 
 
 Yet on the Lord we call. 
 
 They that did loue vs once, 
 
 And were our trends in shewe, 
 Are turnd to gall, and doc vs kill Van. 
 
 As ferce as doth our foe. 
 
 THE SECOND DEPTH. 
 
 UR prince is made a slaue 
 
 To sitt with folke most base ; 
 We find noe rest but woe and moane, Zain 
 And shame doth fill our face. 
 
 Our sinne, our sinne hath greeud 
 
 The Lord of hosts full sore. 
 Our shame, our shame for that doth come, Heth . 
 
 On vs nowe more and more. 
 
 Our things of worth the foe 
 Hath seizd all to his hand, 
 They staine the church of thy great 
 name Teth 
 
 We ca them not with stand. 
 576 
 
K56 
 
 SONGS OF SION. 
 
 The facts that we haue done 
 
 Arc all tilths iu his sight, 
 He pluckes vs downe, and none doth build, Jod. 
 
 Not one will doe vs right. 
 
 "We sighe tor bread in want 
 
 We giue our wealth for yt : 
 helpe sweete Lord for we are vile, Caph. 
 
 O dra we vs from this pitt. 
 
 let all those that passe 
 
 Looke on my woe, and see 
 If ere they sawe the like of this Lamed. 
 
 That nowe is done to me. 
 
 THE THIRD DEFIH. 
 
 !$!> all my hones is fire, 
 
 A net my feete hath caught : 
 God turnes his face, and makes me 
 
 faynt, .Mem. 
 
 His wrath it hath me taught. 
 
 His hand is on my necke, 
 
 His yoke hath bound me sore, 
 
 He beares his had so hard on me 
 That I can rise noe more. 
 
 jVun. 
 
•ii k ioli.'th jii:pi 
 
 137 
 
 My men of force are gone, 
 
 My young men crusht with might, 
 
 My maids and babes are trod to (hist Samech 
 And all this in my sight. 
 
 For these things, weeps myne eies, 
 My soule is farre from glee : 
 
 The foe doth force me to this woe, 
 And none doth care for me. 
 
 Aim 
 
 We stretch our hands for helpe, 
 And none doth take a care, 
 
 We are as isfthe filth of all, 
 They looke not howe we fare. 
 
 Pe. 
 
 Yet thou art iust Lord, 
 
 For Ave hauc gone from thee : 
 
 Thou wilt vs helpe for this at last 
 shewc thy face to me. 
 
 Zade. 
 
 THE FOU11TH DEFT, [sic] 
 
 Y preests gaue vp the ghost 
 
 While they did seeke for mcate, Koph 
 The old men eke gave vp their breath : 
 Lord our woe is great. 
 
138 SONGS OF SION". 
 
 mi greefe Lord, 
 .Mine hart is fild with woe : 
 The sword doth kill, and Death doth 
 rage, Resch. 
 
 For that thou art my foe. 
 
 "When I doe sigh and grone 
 
 "Noe eie doth care for me : 
 My foes doe ioy, and glad themselues, 
 
 My woe and moane to see. 
 
 let my sighes Lord, 
 
 Loud crie make in thine eares : 
 
 1 haue done ill, clease me of that Thau. 
 And rid mine eies fro teares. 
 
 Lord why with a cloud, 
 
 So black of wrath and ire, Alcph. 
 
 Hast thou vs clad, and cast vs downe r 
 
 Why are we burnt with fire ? 
 
 The Lord doth raze our race, 
 
 Our stocke, our flocke, our all ; 
 Downe to the ground, he dings 1 vs fast : Beth. 
 
 Our prince, our peeres doe fall. 
 
 See a former foot-note. G. 
 5S0 
 
TIIE FIFI DEPTH. 139 
 
 THE FIFT DEPTH. 
 
 HE strength of all our house Gimel. 
 
 Is spent, yea all is gone : 
 The Lord's ferce wrath hath cut vs of, 
 To helpe vs there is none. 
 
 He bends his bowe at vs Daleth. 
 
 He shootes vs through full sore : 
 He kills the choice of all our flocke : 
 
 Lord what wilt thou more ? 
 
 Our forts of fence and strength, 
 
 Our fields so fresh, so full, He. 
 
 Are all laid wast ; our goods, our babes, 
 
 Our foes from vs doe pull. 
 
 The king and preest at once Van. 
 
 The Church and State doe wailc, 
 The daies of feasts are turnd to fasts, 
 
 The Lord he doth vs quaile. 
 
 The Lord hath cast downe all, Zain. 
 
 They roare, and make a noice, 
 With in thy house God our king, 
 
 "Where once was hard our voice. 
 
 Our wall, our wealth, our state, Heth. 
 
 Our God will lav full 1< 
 
140 songs or sm.\. 
 
 II is hand is Dent to stricke vs all 
 Thy will Lord is so. 
 
 THE STXT DEITII. 
 
 HE lawe, and all is gone, Teth. 
 
 ]Noe preest, noe peere of light : 
 The Lord hath rid vs of them all, 
 
 Not one doth come in sight. 
 
 The graue men of our State Iod. 
 
 The sage, and such as giude, 
 Doe sitt on groud in dust and clay, 
 
 With sacke they cloth their tide. 
 
 Mine eies to see this, failc. Caph 
 
 "With teares they drope and melt : 
 
 The bahes doe sowne 1 in midst of street, 
 Such woe, and want they felt. 
 
 They crie for bread, for drinke Lamed. 
 
 To all that stand them nighe : 
 And in their lapps that gaue the sucke 
 
 They faint, and faile, and die. 
 
 W T hat woe is like to ours ? Mem. 
 
 Our breach as seas doe roare : 
 
 1 = swoon G 
 
 582 
 
THE SEVENTH DEPTH. I'll 
 
 There's none can helpc or heale our wound 
 Lord our greefe is sore. 
 
 They that should see and say, Nun. 
 
 And tell vs of our sinnc, 
 Haiie taught vs things both vile and vaine, 
 
 Noe good we find there in. 
 
 All such as pass vs by Samech. 
 
 Do scoffe at vs and mocke : 
 Is this the place say they of strength ? 
 
 Is this the whole Earth's rocke. 
 
 THE SEVENTH DEPTH. 
 
 UP foes doe hisse and gnash Am. 
 
 Their teeth, and thus doe save : 
 This is the day we haue sought for 
 To bring thee downe for aye. 
 
 But Lord this is thine acte Pe. 
 
 To thro we vs downe each one : 
 In days of old it was thy will 
 
 To bruise vs bone by bone. 
 
 Our teares doe shower on vs Zade. 
 
 To thee our harts doe cry, 
 P>y day and night we take noe rest 
 
 Our soules doe faint and dye. 
 583 
 
We crye out in the night Koph. 
 
 Like babes we hold vp hands : 
 We faint for want of bread, Lord 
 
 rid vs of these bands ! 
 
 see sweet Lord the babes Resh. 
 
 That are but a span long, 
 We eate for foode ; our preests are slayne 
 
 And cast out as. the donge. 
 
 The young and old on ground Shin. 
 
 Are cast, and faint, and die : 
 Our maids so fresh, so faire inhewe 
 
 Are kild, and cast them. by. 
 
 Naught else but feares Lord Thau. 
 
 Doe wake vs day and night : 
 It is the day of thy ferce wrath 
 
 Of foes, of wane, of spight. 
 
 584 
 
A Metaphrase. 
 
 OF THE THIRD Chap- 
 
 ter of Jeremies Lamentations for 
 the sacking and burning of Jerusalem, and 
 the temple, by Nebuchadnezer king of 
 Babell, and by Nebuzaradan the i 
 of his gard, put into monosyl- 
 lables of great Brittains 
 language. 
 
 .. IhJ if set to the tune of 
 I lift mini hart to thee. 
 PSAL. XXV. 
 
To his much esteemed good fiend, Mr. John 
 GttEENWELL, on[e] of the Assistants of the 
 most worthy companie of marehants-Aduentu- 
 rers residing at Hamh : 
 
 All ioy, and happines in Christ. 
 
 ELBELOUE1) in the Lord, we are 
 all strangers here in the Earth ; our 
 home is aboue in hcauen. It was a 
 great greefe to God's Israel to tune the songs of 
 Sion in a strange country. Howe then is it with 
 vs, thai welike so well of the things here, and 
 thinke not of the blessings aboue. Hieiusalem 
 was once the mistresse of the world, the metropolis 
 of the earth, and yet when the world's darling 
 forgatt God she was layd in the.dust. That is the 
 cause of the prophett's lamentation. Indeed who 
 would not shower dowue teams to see the holy 
 place defiled, and Jerusale made an heape of stones ? 
 But wee see noe place be it neuer so glorious in 
 our eies, noe persons be they neuer so gratious in 
 the sight of men, that can escape God's hand whe 
 he will scourge. The Turkeshaue encroched into 
 566 
 
EPISTLE-BEDICATOKT. 1-1 J 
 
 Chiistendome, and made that citty of Constanti- 
 tinoplc which was once the glory of the East, a 
 vcary cage of vncleane Mahumetans. What Chris- 
 tian's hart doth not hleed to see yt ? to heare of 
 yt ? We haue cause to lament this. The prophet 
 had reason to condole that. that our harts 
 were touched with remorse for thepoore distressed 
 Christians that Hue tributaries to the misbeleeuing 
 Turke. Consider in these hymnes the condition of 
 God's people so subjecte to moane and misery. 
 God directc all our harts toward liim in wealth, 
 in woe, in all. And so I eomending you to God 
 with the rest, in the sailing mercies of Jesus 
 Christ, am, 
 
 Yours because of Christ. 
 
 W. Loe. 
 
THE FIRST DEPTH. 
 
 AM the man Lord 
 
 Haue felt thy wrath, thy rod : 
 send me helpe in this my woe 
 My Lord, my Christ, my God. 
 
 Thy stormcs and clouds of ire 
 
 Hoe heate me day and night : 
 Thou shewst me woe, and wast, and warre 
 
 And hid'st from me the light. 
 
 All the day long Lord 
 
 Thine hand is turnd gainst me : 
 
 Noe helpe, noe hope, noe ioy, noe mirth 
 That I poore wretch can see. 
 
 My flesh and skin are vile, 
 
 And parcht as in a drought ; 
 My bones, my hart are broke in twayne, 
 
 This Lord thy wrath hath wrought. 
 
 Lord thou mak'st a fort, 
 
 With me to warre and fight 
 With gall and greefe thou dost me fill 
 
 And none will doe me right. 
 
THE sr.COM) DEPTH. 147 
 
 As they that long are dead, 6 
 
 And cleane cast out of mind, 
 So am I sett in night of death 
 
 With woe and greefe all pind. 1 
 
 THE SECOND DEPTH. 
 
 jS" hedge is pight 3 me round 
 To close me in this woe : 
 I can not stirre, thy chaines me bind 
 Lord what shall I doe ? 
 
 And when I cry and roare, 
 
 In all my greefe and gall 
 He shutts me out, and will not heare 
 
 Ne cares he for my call. 
 
 He ramzes 3 me in so fast, 
 
 With stones, and clay full thicke, 
 
 My pathes he crokes, and giues noe ease, 
 My soule is faint and sicke. 
 
 A s beares doe teare their pray, 
 And waite more bloud to spill, 
 
 1 Misnumbered 3, 5, onward, dropping 4, and so maki: 
 seven stanzas (apparently) : corrected. G. 
 
 2 Pitched, placed. G. 
 
 3 Query— rammes = rams? G. 
 
 5S9 
 
14S 
 
 SOX US OF SI ON. 
 
 So hath my foes me rent ami torne 
 As if it were thy will. 
 
 I poece by peece, am hald, 
 And puld by hand to raggs : 
 
 I by my selfe do sitt and weepe, 
 While my foe sitts and braggs. 
 
 Thy bowe Lord is bent, 
 To shoote at my pale face : 
 
 I am a marke for shafts to hitt, 
 yett shewe me some grace ! 
 
 THE THIRD DEPTH. 
 
 OR- see the shafts doe sticke, 
 
 In all my raynes through out : 
 I am the butt, and none but I 
 At which shootes all the rout. 
 
 My foes make me their iest 
 
 And song by night and day ; 
 Where is thy God, thy Lord, thy helpe 
 
 Thus they to me doe say. 
 
 Mine hart is fraught with gall, 
 My bloud is drunke vp still : 
 With shame and greefe I waile and wast, 
 Make hast me Lord to kill. 
 «90 
 
Till'. FOURTH DEPTH. 149 
 
 My strength is dasht, my teeth 4 
 
 Arc broke with in my head : 
 Thou laist a 1 loade on me, poore soule, 
 
 1 wish I were cleane dead. 
 
 My soule doth not once heare 5 
 
 Of peace, of grace, of light : 
 I can not call to mind my state 
 
 That once I had in sight. 
 
 Lord my strength, my hope, G 
 
 My helpe I looke from thee, 
 But all is gone, and there is none 
 
 That cares, nor lookes to me. 
 
 THE FOIJKTH DEPTH. 
 
 CALL to mind sweet God, 
 
 This moane, this woe of mine, 
 This gall, this greefe, this plaint, thin 
 cry, 
 For I Lord am thine. 
 
 My soule is faint, and failes, 
 
 AVhen I to mind doe call : 
 My greefe hath made me cry and roare 
 
 To see my woe and fall. 
 
 1 Misprinted ' on '. G. 
 591 
 
150 OF SION. 
 
 Vet haue 1 hope in thee 
 
 That thou wilt helpe at last, 
 And wilt not quite my soule for aye 
 
 From thy sweet sight out east. 
 
 It is thy loue Lord, 
 
 That I am not quite sold, 
 And rid from earth, both braunch and roote, 
 
 And closd vp in the mold. 
 
 Thou failst me not in morne, 
 
 All night I feele thy stay ; 
 Thy hand is great, and in thy truth 
 
 Thou hearst what I doe say. 
 
 For thou Lord art mine, 
 
 My soule doth hope in thee : 
 Thou art my lot, my land, my rent : 
 
 Once more, Lord sett me free. 
 
 THE FIFT DEPTH. 
 
 THOU art good, Lord 
 
 To them that wayte and tend : 
 To soules that secke and sue to thee 
 Thou dost thy grace downe send. 
 592 
 
THE FIFT DEPTH. 1 I 
 
 It is light good Lord 2 
 
 To hope for helpe from thee : 
 For of thee Lord is all man's good : 
 
 shewe thy smile to me. 
 
 It is full good for man 2 
 
 In youth to beare thy rod ; 
 For he shall learne there by to knowe 
 
 The Lord to be his God. 
 
 Then sitts he pale and wan, 4 
 
 And mute without a pecare : 
 He will take heed all tymes that he 
 
 Doe searue the Lord in feare. 
 
 And if he see there's hope 5 
 
 His mouth from dust will cry • 
 And to the Lord make plaint, and moane 
 
 To day that he doth dye. 
 
 He giues his cheeke to such 6 
 
 As smite him, and doe taunt : 
 He will not giue his eareto those 
 
 That vaine and vile things chaunt. 
 
 593 
 
THE SIX! DEPTH. 
 
 I doth not for aye 1 
 
 Cast of bis choice of nun, 
 But though they greeue, yet in his tyme 
 He brings them from that den. 
 
 Tor by his will the Lord 
 
 Greeues not his flocke at all : 
 
 Nor doth he crush the sonnes of me 
 "When they on him doe call. 
 
 He rights men in their ill : 
 The face of the Most High 
 
 Is sett to helpe the flocke of Christ, 
 Yea he will drawe tiein nigh. 
 
 Out of Cod's owne sweet mouth 
 Comes forth not good, and ill : 
 
 When we are plagued it is our sinne 
 That doth our deare soules kill. 
 
 Let vs then search our waies, 
 And turne to our good Cod : 
 
 So shall he quite put farre from vs 
 His scourge, his plague, his rod. 
 
 Lift vp both band and hart 
 To him that dwells on highe, 
 594 
 
THE SEVENTH DEPTH. l.'ju 
 
 And sliewe our sinns, our shame to him 
 Least that for him we dye. 
 
 THE SEUEXTH DEPTH. 
 
 HOU hast vs slayue Lord 
 Andhid'st vs with a cloud, 
 So that our sute comes not to thee, 
 Though we doe cry full loud. 
 
 We are as drosse and doling, 
 
 Our foes doe on vs rage : 
 A feare and snare is come on vs, 
 
 And that from age to age. 
 
 Mine eies cease not to weepe 
 
 But clay by daye we moane : 
 Till thou Lord dost looke from high, 
 
 And ease vs of our grone. 
 
 My eies and hart doe ake, 
 
 The one with teares doth runne, 
 
 My hart it sobbs, and sighes full sore 
 For that which 1 haue done. 
 
 Men chase me like a bird, 
 
 They haue cut of my life 
 They cast great stones to keepc me downe 
 
 They kill me in their strife. 
 k 595 
 
154 SONGS OF SION. 
 
 Yet from these depths Lord 
 I haue cald on thy name ; 
 
 Thou to my voice wilt giue an < are 
 And ease me of the same. 
 
 THE EIGHTH MUSH. 
 
 HOU wont'st to say, Feare not, 1 
 
 Thou wont'st my cause to plead : 
 And to the streames of love and life 
 Thou wast wont me to lead. 
 
 Lord my^wronge thou scest 
 Judge thou my cause with those 
 
 That gape, and hope to eate me vp : 
 With rage they doe me clo^e . 
 
 Thou Lord hast heard their cries 
 Howe they doe rage N and roare : 
 
 Howe they doe spite and spitt at me, 
 And raue still more and more. 
 
 They make their songs on me 
 They iest, and gibe, and mocke : 
 
 When they sitt downe, or rise, or walke 
 They flout, they feare thy fiocke. 
 
 Giue them their lott Lord. 
 
 Looke on the worke they wrought : 
 596 
 
TDK LK.iUTH Ml>K. 
 
 155 
 
 Giue them thy curse with greefe of hart, 
 That haue my woe thus sought. 
 
 Cast them all cleane from thee 
 Let not the Earth them heare, 
 
 For that they doe not'seeke to thee 
 But ra2:e with out all feare. 
 
 
A METAPHRASE. 
 Of the fourth, and fift Chap- 
 ters of Ieremies Lamentations for 
 the sacking, & burning of Ierusalem, and 
 the temple, by Nebuchadnezer king of 
 Babell, and by Nebuzaradan the captaine 
 of his gard, pnt into monosyl- 
 labeles of great Brittains 
 language. 
 And is set to tJie tune of 
 I lift mine hart to thee. 
 
 Psalm XXV. 
 
THE FIRST DEPTH. 
 
 OWE is our gold so dymme ? 
 The fine gold howe is't lost? 
 The stones of the Lord's house are wast, 
 This is our case, our cost. 
 
 Our sonnes that were so strong 
 
 Are trod as clay in streete, 
 And as the potts so are they broke, 
 
 They crash them with their feete. 
 
 The formes of fish in sea, 
 
 That are most strange to see, 
 Yea they to young ones yeald their breasts 
 
 With vs this may not bee. 
 
 The babe that suckes is drye, 
 Eor bread the young ones cry, 
 
 Eut bread and breast they can haue none 
 And so they faint and dye. 
 
 They that did feede most fine 
 
 The crusts most course would haue ; 
 699 
 
To his much esteemed good frend Mr. Iohn 
 
 Stampe, marchant, one of the copanie of the 
 
 Marchants - Adventurers, residing at Ham- 
 borough. 
 
 Etemall llisse in Christ Jesus. 
 
 INE unfained loue in Christ vnto you : 
 Noe wise man would sell his thoughts 
 for all the world. For as they arc 
 much pleasing to a man's selfe so are they benefi- 
 ciall vnto others. I little thought whe I began 
 to make an Essay into this businesse that it would 
 haue enlarged it selfe into eleuen branches. 
 "What it is, and as it is ; euen the all of it, I 
 devote to all my table-brothers ; wherein your 
 selfe haue a part. I shall desire your acceptance 
 with the rest. And euen so herein I commed 
 my loue to you, my lines to the world's censure, 
 and the vse of the to God's children ; for whose 
 sake I haue endeuored this. Thus with my pray- 
 ers for your successfull prosperity in all things 
 I leaue you to God's sauing grace. Remay[n]ing 
 Your affectionate, 
 
 W. Loe. 
 
Till: SECOND DEPTH. 1 o9 
 
 They that put ou their robs of silke, 
 The pigs coote 1 seekes, and craue. 
 
 The woe that we doe here 6 
 
 Is farre more great then when 
 our God did rayne fell fire frd.sk >y, 
 
 And burnt the sonnes of men. 
 
 THE SECOND DEPTH. 
 
 HEY that were pure as snowe, 
 And white as is the milke, 
 And lookt so red, so fresh, so faire, 
 And clad them selues with silke, 
 
 They are as blacke as cole, 
 By face they are not knowne ; 
 
 Their skin is parcht, and cleaues to bones, 
 They waile, they weepe, they moane. 
 
 They whom the sword doth kill 
 
 We count in a good case ; 
 For they that Hue doe pine for want, 
 
 Both they and all their race. 
 
 The babes that sucke the breast 
 We seeth for meat in pott, 
 
 cot or stye. G. 
 601 
 
160 
 
 SONGS OF SIGN. 
 
 Or else we pine for want of meat) 
 Our limbs doe fade and rott. 
 
 The Lord is wrath with vs, 
 On vs he shourcs his ire, 
 And we are clcane put out of sight, 
 
 He burnes vs vp with fire. 
 
 The kings of all the earth 
 
 Doe stand in maze to see : 
 Our foes march in our streats with routs, 
 
 And we poore soules to flee. 
 
 THE THIRD DEPTH. 
 
 |1UT this is come to vs 
 
 For that we shed the blond 
 Of such as were most neere to God, 
 And shewd vs all the good. 
 
 The bloud I say of them 
 
 Doth cry gainst vs to God, 
 And nowe we feele his hand of ire, 
 
 His scourge his whipe, his rod. 
 
 This bloud of men so iust, 
 
 Hath bine our bane, our woe, 
 
 And made vs turne our backes fro such 
 As made them selues our foe. 
 GU2 
 
i'UE FOriiTH DEPTH. 1G1 
 
 For we car'd not for preeste, 4 
 
 Nor those that did vs good, 
 13 ut were both ferce and fell to them, 
 
 We stroue to sheed their bloud. 
 
 For this our eies doe watch 5 
 
 And waite, and still doe faile, 
 JN~o helpe, no hand is stretcht to vs, 
 
 And so we fainte and quaile. 
 
 The foe doth hunt our stepps (> 
 
 As we goe in the streete : 
 They kill, they cry, they roare on vs, 
 
 They tread vs with their feete. 
 
 THE FOURTH DEPTH. 
 
 HEY hunt vs in the feilds, 
 On hills, in dales they kill ; 
 We dare not once loke out of dore, 
 Our streats with dead they fill. 
 
 The breath of all our Hues 
 Is caught fast in their snare, 
 
 And left he is in plight full ill, 
 Both base, and poore, and bare. 
 
 Let these be glad that dwell 
 Farre of[f] out of this place : 
 GO;; 
 
1G2 soircs OF SI ON. 
 
 Take heede least you doe mono the Lord, 
 Gainst you to turne his lace. 
 
 For he hath plagued vs sore 
 
 For all our sinnes aud ill, 
 And yet we hope he will lokc back 
 
 And cease our folke to kill. 
 
 The Y. Cap. 
 
 Lord call thou to mind 
 
 What is come on vs all : 
 Take heede to vs that iu our woe 
 
 To none but thee doe call. 
 
 Our lands, our rents, our all 
 
 The foe from vs doe take. 
 The folke that are to vs most Strang [e], 
 
 A prey of vs doe make. N 
 
 THE FIFT DEPTH. 
 
 FPt babes doe know noe sires, 1 
 
 And they that gaue the breast 
 Doe sitt, and sighe, and roare, and cry, 
 ]S T e can they like their rest. 
 
 Our driuke to vs is sold, 2 
 
 Our wood we buy full deare; 
 604 
 
THE SIXT DEPTH. 1 63 
 
 And all this ill is come on vs, 
 For thee we did not feare. 
 
 Our neckes are prest with yokes, 3 
 
 On vs they lie full sore : 
 We moile, and toyle, and haue noe rest : 
 
 Lord what wilt thou more. 
 
 To those that be our foes, 4 
 
 For bread we giue our hands : 
 They tire on vs, and make a prey, 
 
 They breake in to our lands. 
 
 They that are dead, and gone, 
 
 Lord haue done the dune, 
 And wee poore soules doe pay the price, 
 
 These take vs in their gin. 
 
 Base slaues whom we did beate, 6 
 
 Ore vs now rule and tire ; 
 And there is none that doth vs helpe, 
 
 Our feete stickes in the mire. 
 
 THE SIXT DEPTH. 
 
 UE, bread we gett with dread, 1 
 
 It costs vs halfe our life : 
 "We waile in midst of woe, and waste 
 All night, all day in strife. 
 C05 
 
104 SONGS OF SION. 
 
 Our skin, like to a moore 
 
 Is blacke for want of meate : 
 Our parts are parent to skin and bone : 
 
 Thy wrath Lord is great. 
 
 Our maids they make a prey 
 To serue their minds and lusts : 
 
 Our wiues they wrong in all our sights, 
 Yet Lord thy hand is iust. 
 
 By hand our prince they hang, 
 The old men they doe seorne : 
 Our greefe doth last till it be night, 
 And eke till it be morne. 
 
 They make our young ones grind 
 And toyle like horse in mill : 
 
 Their backes they load with batts 1 of wood 
 Till that they doe them kill. 
 
 The old men sitt noe more 
 
 To iudg the cause in gate : 
 The young me waile that wont to sing : 
 
 Oh when will be our date. 
 
 Loads. G. 
 60G 
 
THE SEATTENTB DEPTH. 1 65 
 
 Our ioy of hart is gone, f; 
 
 Our daunce is turnd to moane : 
 Our minds doe muse of nought but woe, 
 
 "Wc sitt, and sighe, and grone. 
 
 THE SEAUENTH DEPTH. 
 
 HE crowne is gone from vs, 
 And all the rule is fled ; 
 What shall we doe Lord our God, 
 Our sinne hath struck vs dead. 
 
 For sinne our hart is faynt, 
 
 For sinne our eies are dymme ; 
 
 For sinne our foes doe warre on vs, 
 And rend vs limbe by limbe. 
 
 Our hills and dales are waste, 
 The foxe doe roome and range ; 
 
 These things to see our harts doe bleed, 
 To vs it is most strange. 
 
 Yet Lord thou art for aye, 
 Thy throne is sett full sure : 
 
 Thou can'st vs helpe, when hope is gone, 
 Lord nowe doe vs cure. 
 
 Why then dost hide thy face, 
 And wilt not on vs looke ? 
 607 
 
1GG songs or sion. 
 
 Thou wilt at last thy grace vs giue, 
 That is wrote in thy booke. 
 
 Turne to vs Lord we praye, 
 And then we shall see grace : 
 
 giue to vs the daies of old, 
 Thy name sett in this place. 
 
 "What shall thy wrath like fire 
 Still last, and burne, and kill : 
 
 cease sweet Lord we doe thee pray 
 So shalt thou find uoe ill. 
 
 603 
 
Seauen Dumpes 
 
 ON THE SEAUEN WORDS 
 that Christ spake on the crosse 
 which shewe the seauen depthes of the 
 lawes curse, which our lord did 
 feele for our sinnes. 
 
 And is set to the tune of 
 
 J lift mine hart to thee. 
 
 Psalm XXV. 
 
To his much esteemed good frend Mr. George 
 Franklyx, on[e] of the Assistants of the most 
 worthy companie of marchants-Adventurers 
 residing at Hamb : 
 
 Grace here, Glory hereafter, in Christ. 
 
 OTJIXG and beloned, The words of a 
 dying father, or of a dying frend are 
 wont to take deepe impression in the 
 minds and memories of good natures. Whose 
 words shall pearce, if the words of our Christ, 
 our dying Christ, and that for vs. and his last 
 also : Whose I say if not his ? To you I send the 
 last words of Christ, in the last place, yet you 
 are not the least in my loue. The first in intent- 
 ion is last in execution. And nothing is conveayc d 
 to the intellectuall powers that is not first in the 
 sensible parts. It was God's purpose of our 
 Christ, euen in the creatio, that he should be thus 
 vpon the crosse. See then your Christ at his last. 
 Tune your dolefull dumps to a sad soule, and ioy 
 in sobbs. For he prayes, cries, yells, promiseth, 
 perfecteth all, that we may be all in all with God. 
 610 
 
EPISTLE-DEDICATORY. 169 
 
 What can be more ? Christ passion is the modell 
 of our profession, yea the medall of our perfection. 
 For God's strength is perfected in our weakenes. 
 
 "We may sowe in teares, we shall reape in ioy. 
 Let my Spring be wett so that I may haue a 
 plentifull Autume I care not. Vir dolorum can 
 best tune his voice to dolours. If God will haue 
 it so, His will be done. He did so with his owne. 
 We cannot imagine our condition free. God giude 
 vs through all by his sauing grace, to which I 
 shall euer recommend you, and rest, 
 
 Your more then much affectionate, 
 
 W. Loe. 
 
THE VEWE. 
 
 GOD my soule lift vp, 
 
 And stretch mine hart in twaine, 
 That it may feele, and faile, and die, 
 
 For life is in this paine. 
 
 My poore heart is so full 
 
 And fraught with thought of thee, 
 That it's nighe rent to see thy loue 
 
 So much, so maine for me. 
 
 take thy crosse and naih-s, 
 And straine my hart at length, 
 
 That thy deere loue may not be pent, 
 But shewe my soule my strength. 
 
 And nowe my thoughts are free 
 Thy loue to vewe in sight, 
 
 My hart doth pant, for that noe more 
 It feeles here of thy might. 
 
 fill my hart once more, 
 
 And stretch and straine it still, 
 012 
 
MRSI UL'.Mi'K. 171 
 
 That I may lothe and loue no more 
 My sinne that brought this ill. 
 
 But I want space in hart, 
 And grace in all my life, 
 
 To end my smart in sight of this, 
 And sinnes that are so rife. 
 
 But since my hart God 
 Holds not a sight of thee, 
 
 doe thou Lord hold fast my hart 
 And she we thy loue to me. 
 
 THE FIRST DTJAIPE: ON THE FIRST 
 WORD. 
 
 Father forgiue them for they knowenot what they doe.— 
 Luck. 23. Verse 34. 
 
 HAT voice is this so shrill 1 
 
 That soiids thus in mine eare ? 
 put from them their sinns God 
 That knowes not what's thy feare. 
 
 Is't not thy voice Christ, 2 
 
 On crosse when thou didst hang ? 
 
 And eke for those that did thee kill, 
 Is't not thy voice that sang ? 
 013 
 
172 
 
 SONGS OF SIOX. 
 
 A tune to God on highe 
 
 With which his eare was pleasd, 
 To see thy deere loue stretch so farre, 
 
 And made the world so eas'd. 
 
 They knewe not what they did : 
 "Was ere such a thing seene ? 
 
 To pray for those that made a prey 
 In woes so sharp so keene. 
 
 soule full oft thou hast 
 
 Not knowen what thou hast done : 
 Noe way for helpe to cure that greefe 
 
 But in thy Christ, God's sonne. 
 
 pray my soule for them 
 That hate thee to the graue, 
 
 And let not wrath lodg with thee once, 
 It's Christ that must thee saue. 
 
 When foes doe curse, hlesse them 
 
 ■ For Christ hath taught thee so ; 
 
 Who prayd for such as did him kill 
 
 And brought to curse and woe. 
 
THE NEXT DTMI'E. 
 
 173 
 
 THE NEXT DILUTE : ON THE NEXT 
 WORD. 
 
 Verily I say vnto thee, This day shalt thou be with me 
 paradice.— Luck 23. v. 43. 
 
 SOULE looko vp to this, l 
 
 And harke what voice thou hear'st ; 
 
 Thy Christ in midst of gripes of death 
 Doth heare, what is't thou fearst ? 
 
 Then sure he will thee heare, 2 
 
 And giue eare to thy crye, 
 Nowe that he sitts on throne in state 
 
 Arid is thy God so nighc. 
 
 A theefe doth cry and call, 3 
 
 Christ heares him by and by : 
 soule thy Christ will heare thee sure 
 
 If thou dost call and cry. 
 
 lcarnc it is but one 4 
 
 To whom Christ grants an eare, 
 That sued to him in death at last, 
 
 And sought him in his feare. 
 
 Yet it is one my soule 5 
 
 Least thou .shouldst faynt and dye, 
 
 And that thy Christ would not thee heare 
 In death when thou shalt cry. 
 615 
 
17 1 SONGS OF SION. 
 
 And yet it is but one, 
 
 Least soule thou shouldst be proud, 
 And thinke that God would heare thee still 
 
 When that thy cry is loud. 
 
 learne sweet soule by this 
 
 To sue to God in life, 
 And driue not of[f] till death doe come 
 
 To die in iarre and strife. 
 
 THE THIHD DUMPE : ON" THE THIRD 
 WOED. 
 
 Behold thy mother, Behold thy Sonne. 
 John 19. v. 26, 27. 
 
 EE soule if ere the like 1 
 
 Was hard that nowe is scene, 
 That Christ should care in midst of 
 death, 
 And greefes that were so keene 
 
 Eor those that could not helpe, 
 15 ut sawe him in that plight, 
 
 Burst sonic and die, to see his loue 
 To her that bare his might. 
 
 And eke to him whose loue 
 Was fixt sure in his breast : 
 616 
 
I'HK THIRD DT7MPE. i7o 
 
 That Christ should care in midst of greefe 
 That he should Hue in rest. 
 
 She that whose seede did bruse, 4 
 
 The head of hell and death, 
 Hath hart all prest with woe and greefe 
 
 To see Christ lose his breath. 
 
 child see that thou loue, 5 
 
 And loke, and long for good, 
 To those that haue thee borne and bred, 
 
 And are thee nighe in bloud. 
 
 Shall not our Christ loue those 6 
 
 Thinke you that searue him still, 
 
 And haue a care of all such folke 
 That seeke to doe his will. 
 
 My soule they are all deare 
 
 He cares for all their seede, 
 Ne shall there one that serues our God 
 
 Be void of his full meede. 
 
 017 
 
176 songs or sion. 
 
 THE FOURTH DUMPE : ON THE FOURTH 
 WORD. 
 
 My God, my god, why hast thou forsaken me ? 
 Mat. 27. vers. 46. 
 
 NO WE my soule giue eare 1 
 
 To this great cry and yell, 
 J That shakes the heauens and moues the 
 earth 
 And teares the powers of hell. 
 
 My God, my God cries Christ 2 
 
 Why putts thou me thee fro, 
 And why dost hide thy face fro me 
 
 As if I were thy foe. 
 
 soule he cries for thee, 3 
 
 That thou maist haue God's light, 
 
 And nere be cast in pit full lowe, 
 And hid out of his sight. 
 
 This cry did darke the sunne 4 
 
 In full smyle of his beanies : 
 soule doth not it dymme thy sight, 
 
 And cause of teares full streames ? 
 
 My soule great is our sinnes 5 
 
 That causd these groanes and cries : 
 618 
 
THE FIFTH DTTMPE. 17/ 
 
 My cures that heare, are dull anddeafe, 
 My hart it faynts, and dies. 
 
 What paine didst thou Christ 
 
 For me base wretch then beare, 
 That thou didst yell, and cry, and roare 
 
 in such great greefe and feare. 
 
 Wast not that I might nere 7 
 
 Feele God goe from my hart ? 
 Wast not Christ that I might not 
 
 Of hell once feele the smart. 
 
 THE FIFT DUMPE: ON THE FIFT 
 WORD. 
 
 I thirst —John 19. v. 28. 
 
 HAT thirst was this Christ 
 That thou di'st feele so fell ? 
 
 That made thee call for driuke in 
 
 drought, 
 That eausd thee thus to veil ? 
 
 Wast not for my poore soule 
 Thou didst cry in thy thirst ? 
 
 That I might tast these streames of ioy 
 That man had at the first. 
 
ITS SONGS OF SIOV. 
 
 And nore to thirst for aye, 
 
 But haue the streames full glad, 
 
 That ioy the hart, and soule, and all, 
 And blesse the mind that's sad. 
 
 Thou art the rocke Christ 
 
 From whence the source doth flovre 
 
 That makes vs feele no thirst at all 
 But vp wards for to growe. 
 
 Come to this source my soule, 
 And drench thy deepc sad mind, 
 
 Thou cast not chuse but here thou must, 
 A -well of blisse sure find. 
 
 For Christ didst thirst for thee 
 That thou mights[t] drinke I say, 
 
 The streames that flowe from throne of God 
 Where Christ doth dwell for aye. 
 
 All soules doe thirst for this 
 
 All saincts for this doe crye, 
 And bray as harts doe for the flouds, 
 
 And so to faynt and dye. 
 
THE SlXT DTJMPE. 179 
 
 THE SIXT DTJMPE. 
 
 It is finished.— Johax. 19. veus. 30. 
 
 j^OWE all is done my soule 1 
 
 That can be done for thee, 
 The houres of death and powers of hell 
 Are all put farre from me. 
 
 Christ nowe hath paid the debt, 2 
 
 The bond in two is rent, 
 The lawe, the curse, the woe, the crosse 
 
 Is laid on him that's sent. 
 
 Loe Christ hath tane for thee 3 
 
 Thy sinne, thy shame, thy crosse, 
 
 And rid thee from the hags of hell 
 That would haue wrought thy losse. 
 
 Nowe is the world all iudged : 4 
 
 All powers of death and hell 
 Haue done their worst, and cowe in woe 
 
 Doe cry, and roare, and yell. 
 
 It's done, it's done, saith Christ ! 5 
 
 Ye[a] all is past and clcare, 
 That thou my soule maist line in blisse 
 
 And be to God most deare. 
 
ISO 
 
 SONGS OF SIOX. 
 
 Is this the way Christ, 
 
 That we tast woe with thee, 
 That so we may ouce rule and raigne 
 
 And thy sweete face still see. 
 
 lett thy will Lord, 
 
 Be done of vs in fine, 
 And hy vs let thy will be done 
 
 That still we may be thine. 
 
 THE SETEXTH DUMPE : OX THE SEVENTH 
 WOK I). 
 
 Father into thy hands doe I commend my spirit. 
 Luck. 23. vers. 46. 
 
 COME ioy of mine bait, 
 
 And seaze my sonle with this ; 
 What is there ought in the wide world 
 That ca be more to blisse 
 
 Then for my soule to heare 
 My Christ bis soule to gine, 
 
 Into the bands of God my Lou] 
 'J here still for avc to line ? 
 
 Xowe soule, thou seest thy blisse, 
 And where thou maistbe sure, 
 622 
 
THE SEUENTH DUMTE. 181 
 
 To haue thy rest, thy ioy, thy stay 
 Thy loue, thy life, thy cure. 
 
 blest are they that dye, 4 
 
 They rest from all their care ; 
 When once the Lord doth sett them free, 
 
 What Death or Hell can dare ? 
 
 In his, soule, thy Christ 5 
 
 For thine made suite to God 
 Thou need'st not feare the day of death 
 
 ISor graue, nor hell, his rod. 
 
 Tor thou art safe in him 6 
 
 That keepes thy life in store, 
 And it is hid in Christ, thy Lord, 
 
 What can'st thou wishe nowe more ? 
 
 soule die in these words, 7 
 
 Giue vp thy selfe in fine 
 To God in Christ, and feare no ill 
 
 For he saies ' Thou art mine '. 
 
TO HIM THAT MADE THESE HYMNS. 
 
 3]HEjN" with my thoughts I vewe thy saynct 
 
 J like Muse 
 
 U How on[e] while drencht in sobs, and 
 
 sighs for sinne ; 
 And yet more low, the paths of death doth vse ; 
 There seisd with greef, yet prayes : then sours 1 
 
 euen in 
 Heauen's gate it self: and there true loue doth 
 
 find, 
 And then it's Chi'ist doth see, and vew : his payne, 
 His cross : his speare-pearst side, his greef of 
 
 mind 
 Thence dumpt twixt ioy and greef: as on[e] half 
 
 slayne 
 I muse, euen at thy muse, how well, how fit it 
 
 lymms 
 It's greef, sobs, sighs and tears, in tunes, in songs, 
 
 and hymns. 
 
 J. P. 
 
 1 = .soars. G. 
 624 
 
TO HIM THAT MUlK THKSE HYMNS. 
 
 183 
 
 TO HIM THAT MADE THESE HYMNS. 
 
 ^ER'S but one God, that this world one 
 hath made 
 One Christ, one Truth, one faith, one 
 hope, one loue ; 
 To serve this one, in hymns of ones, dost shade 
 Thy zeale, to teach vs that in one we moue. 
 Loe, as thy hymns be ones, so is thy name but odd, 
 How fitt ? both name and hymns doe ioyne to 
 
 praise one God. 
 Thus ten and one, in one thou hast nowe framd, 
 That we in one should keep the lawe of ten ; 
 Thus by seaven and seaven thou hast them so 
 
 namd 
 For seaven tymes seaven, day by day, we break 
 
 them. 
 Loe, your hymns, of one, ten and one, and seaven 
 
 by seaven 
 Learns, God to laud, his lawe to keepe, the way 
 to heauen. 
 
 G. F. 1 
 
 1 Query - Dr. Giles Fletcher, {pater) ? G. 
 
 ^inis. 
 

 0. TIJPLADY ii SON, 1'liisiii,' i mi ,;i n STREET, BLACKBURN. 
 
 
 
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