26. His good name being blemished, he beway leth.

Fraud is the front of Fortune past all recoverie,

I stayles stand, to abide the shocke of shame and infamie.
My life through lingring long is lodge, in lare of lothsome wayes,
My death delaide to keepe from life, the harme of haplesse dayes:
My sprites, my hart, my witte and force in deepe distresse are dround,
The only losse of my good name, is of these greefes the ground.

And since my mind, my wit, my voyce, and tongue are weake,
To utter, mooue, deuise, conceiue, sound foorth, declare and speake:
Such pearsing plaintes, as answeare might, or would my wofull case
Helpe, craue I must, and craue 1 wyll, with teares upon my face:
Of al that may in heauen or hell, in earth or ayre be found,
To wayle with me this losse of mine, as of these greefes the ground.

Helpe gods, helpe saintes, helpe sprites & powers, yt in the heauen doo Helpe ye yt are to wayle aye woont, ye howling hounds of hel: (dwel, Helpe man, helpe beasts, help birds, & wormes yt on ye earth doth toile, Helpe fishe, helpe foule, that flocks and feedes upon the salt sea soyle: Helpe eccho that in ayre dooth flee, shryl voyces to resound,

To wayle this losse of my good name, as of these greefes the ground. Finis E. O.

27. Of Fortunes power.

Policrates whose passing happe causd him to lose his fate,
A golden ryng cast in the seas, to change his constant state,
And in a fishe yet at his bourd, the same he after found;
Thus Fortune loe, to whom she takes, for bountie dooth abound.

The myzers unto might she mountes, a common case we see,
And mightie in great miserie, she sets in lowe degree:
Whom she to day dooth reare on hie, upon her whirling wheele,
To morowe next she dingeth downe, and casteth at her heele.

No

No measure hath shee in her gifts, shee doth reward cache sort,
The wise that counsell haue no more then fooles that maketh sport;
She vseth neuer partiall hands for to offend, or please,

Geve me good Fortune all men sayes, and throw me in the seas.

It is no fault or worthines, that makes men fall or rise,

I rather be borne Fortunate, then to be uery wise;

The blindest man right soone, that by good Fortune guided is,
To whome that pleasant Fortune pipes can neuer daunce amis.
Finis. M. Edwardes.

28. Though Triumph after bloudy warres, the greatest brags do beare; Yet triumph of a conquered minde the crowne of Fame shall weare.

Who so doth marke the carelesse life of these unhappie dayes,
And sees what small and slender hold the state of vertue stayes;
He findes that this accursed trade, proceedeth of this ill,
That man be given too much to yeelde to their untamed will.

In lacke of taming witlesse wil, the poore we often see
Enuies the ritch, because that he his equall cannot bee:

The rich aduaunct to might by wealth, from wrong doth not refraine,
But will oppresseth weaker sort to heape excessiue gaine.

If Fortune were so blinde to geue to one man, what he will,

A world would not suffise the same if he might haue his fill:

We wish, we searche, we striue for all, and haue no more therin
Then hath ye slaue, when death doth come, though Cresus welth we win.

In getting much, we get but care, such brittle wealth to keepe,
The rich within his walles of stone doth neuer soundly sleepe:
When poore in weake and slender house, doe feare no losse of wealth,
And have no further care but this to keepe them selues in health.

Affection may not hide the sword of sway in iudgement seat,
Least partiall law doe execute the lawe in causes great:
But if the minde in constant state affection quite doe leaue,
The higher state shall haue their rights, the poore no wrong receaue.

It

It is accompted greater praise to Ceasars loftie state,

Against his vanquist foes in warres to bridle wrekefull hate:
Then when to Rome he had subdued, the people long unknowne,
Wherby as farre as land was found the same abrode was blowne.

If honour can selfe will refuse, and iustice be vpright,
And private state desires but that which good appeares in sight:
Then vertue shall with soueraigne show, to euery eye reueale
A heauenly life, a wealefull state, a happie common weale

Let vertue then the Triumph win and gouerne all your deedes,
Your yeelding to her sober heastes immortal glory breedes:
Shee shall upreare your worthy name, shew then unto the skies;
Her beames shall shine in graue obscure where shrined carkesse lies.
Finis M. Edwardes.

Who so will be accompted wise, and truely claime the same,
By ioyning vertue to his deedes he must atchieue the same:
But fewe there be that seeke thereby true wisedome to attaine,
O God, so rule our hearts therefore such fondnesse to refraine.

The wisedome which we most esteeme, in this thing doth consist, With glorious talke to shew in wordes our wisedome when we list : Yet not in talke but seemely deedes our wisedome we should place, To speake so faire and doe but ill doth wisedome quite disgrace.

To bargaine well and shunne the losse, a wisedome counted is,
And thereby through the greedie coyne no hope of grace to mis.
To seke by honoure to aduaunce his name to brittle praise,
Is wisedome which we daily see increaseth in our dayes.

But heavenly wisedome sower seemes, to hard for them to win,
But weary of the sute they seeme, when they doe once begin:
It teacheth us to frame our life, while vitall breth we haue,
When it dissolueth earthly masse, the soul from death to saue.

By

By feare of God to rule our steppes from sliding into vice,
A wisedome is which we neglect, although of greater price:
A poynt of wisedome also this, we commonly esteeme
That euery man should be in deede, that he desires to seeme.

To bridle that desire of gaine which forceth us to ill,
Our hawtie stomackes Lord represse, to tame presuming will:
This is the wisdome that we should aboue cache thing desire,
O heauenly God from sacred throne, that grace in vs inspire.

And print in our repugnant hearts the rules of wisedome true,
That all our deedes in worldly life may like thereof insue:
Thou onely art the liuing spring from whome this wisedome flowes,
O washe therewith our sinfull heartes from vice that therin growes.
Finis M. Edwardes

Ye stately wightes that liue in quiet rest,

Through worldly wealth which God hath giuen to you,

Lament. with teares and sighes from dolefull brest,

The shame and power that vice obtaineth now.
Behold how God doth daily profer grace,

Yet we disdaine repentance to embrace.

The suddes of sinne doe sucke into the mind,
And cancred vice doth vertue quite expel,
No chaunge to good alasse can resting finde:
Our wicked hearts so stoutly doe rebell.

Not one there is that hasteth to amend,

Though God from heaven his daily threates doe send.

We are so slow to chaunge our blamefull life,
We are so prest to snatche aluring vice:
Such greedie hartes on euery side be rife,
So few that guide their will by counsell wise;
To let our teares lament the wretched case,
And call to God for vndeserued grace.

You

You worldly wightes that haue your fancies fixt
On slipper ioy of terreine pleasure here;

Let some remorse in all your deedes be mixt,
Whiles you have time let some redresse appere:
Of sodaine Death the houre you shall not know,
And looke for Death although it seemeth slow.

Oh be no iudge in other mens offence,
But purge thy selfe and seeke to make thee free,
Let euery one applie his diligence,

A chaunge to good with in him selfe to see :
O God direct our feete in such a stay,

From cancred vice to shame the hatefull way.
Finis. R. Hill.

31. Sundrie men, sundrie affectes.

In euery wight some sondrie sort of pleasure I doe finde,
Which after he doth seeke to ease his toyling minde,
Diana, with her training chase, of hunting had delight,
Against the fearefull Deare, shee could direct her shotte aright:
The loftie yeares in euery age doth still imbrace the same,
The sport is good, if vertue doe assist the chearefull game.

Minerva in her chattering armes her courage doth aduance,
In triall of the bloudie warres, shee giveth luckie chaunce:
For sauegard men imbrace the same, which doe so needefull seeme,
That noble heartes their cheefe delights in vse therof esteeme:
In warlike games to ride or trie the force of armes they vse,
And base the man we doe accompt that doth the same refuse,

The silver sound of musickes cordes doth please Apollo's wit,
A science which the heauens aduaunce where it deserues to sit :
A pleasure apt for euery wight, releefe to carefull minde,
For woe redresse, for care a salue, for sadnesse helpe we finde,
The soueraigne praise of Musicke still, doth cause the Poetes faine,
That whliring Spheres, and eke the heauens do hermonie retaine.

I heard