Whan Jofue was dead, that fort from me ded fall
To the worthyppynge,of Afteroth and Baal,
Full uncleane ydolles, and monsters beftyall.
David rex pius.
For it they have had thy righteoufe ponnyfhment,
And for as moch as they did wyckedly confent
To the Paleftynes and Chananytes ungodlye
Idolaters, takynge to them in matrymonye,
Thu threweft them undre the kynge of Mefopotamye,
After thu fubduedeft them for their idolatrye.
Eyghtene years to Eglon, the kynge of Moabytes,
And XX years to Jabin, the kynge of Chananyies,
Oppreffed they were VII years of the Madyanytes,
And XVIII years vexed of the cruell Ammonytes.
In three great battayles, of threescore thousand and fyve,
Of thys thy people, not one was left alyve.
Have mercye now, Lorde, and call them to repentaunce.
Pater cæleftis.
So longe as they fynne, fo longe fhall they have grevaunce. David my fervaunt, fumwhat muft I faye to the; For that thu latelye haft wrought foch vanyte.
Spare not, bleffed Lorde, but faye thy pleasure to me.
Pater cæleftis.
Of late dayes thu haft myfufed Berfabe,
The wyfe of Urye, and flayne hym in the fyelde.
David rex pius.
Mercye Lorde, mercye, for doubtleffe I am defyelde.
Pater cæleftis.
I conftytute the a kynge over Ifrael,
And the preferved from Saul, whych was thy enemye.
Yea, in my faver, so moch thu dedyft excell,
That of thy enemyes I gave the vyctorye.
Palestynes and Syryanes to the came trybutarye.
Why haft thu then wrought foch folye in my fyght,
Defpyfynge my worde, against all godlye ryght?
David rex pius.
I have fynned, Lorde, I befyche the pardone me.
Pater cæleftis.
Thu fhalt not dye, David, for thys inyquyte,
For thy repentaunce; but thy fonne by Berfabe
Shall dye, for as moch as my name is blafphemed
Among my enemyes, and thu the worse eftemed.
From thy howse for thys the fwerde shall not depart.
David rex pius.
I am forye, Lorde, from the bottom of my hart.
Pater cæleftis.
To further anger thu doeft me yet compell.
David rex pius.
For what matter, Lorde? I befyche thy goodneffe tell.
Pater cæleftis.
Why dedeft thu numbre the people of Ifrael?
Suppofeft in thy mynde, therin thu haft done well?
David rex pius.
I can not faye naye, but I have done undyfcretelye,
To forget thy grace, for a humayne pollycye.
Pater cæleftis.
Thu fhalt of these three chose whych plage thou wylt have, For that fynnefull acte, that I thy fowle maye fave. A fcarfeneffe vii. years, or else iii. monthes exyle, Eyther for iii. dayes the peftylence most vyle, For one thu must have, there is no remedye.
Lorde, at thy pleasure, for thu art full of mercye.
Pater cæleftis.
Of a pestylence, then iii. fcore thousand and ten,
In iii. dayes fhall dye of thy moft puyfaunt men.
David rex pius.
O Lorde, it is I whych have offended thy grace, Spare them and not me, for I have done the trespace. Pater cæleftis.
Though thy fynnes be great, thy inwarde harte's contrycyon
Doth move my stomake in wonderfull condycyon.
I fynde the a man accordynge to my hart,
Wherfor thys promyfe I make the, ere I depart.
A frute there fhall come forth yffuynge from thy bodye,
Whom I wyll advaunce upon thy feate for ever.
Hys trone fhall become a feate of heavenlye glorye,
Hys worthy fcepture from ryght wyll not dyffever,
Hys happye kyngedome, of faythe, fhall peryfh never.
Of heaven and of earthe he was autor pryncypall,
And wyll contynue, though they do peryth all.
Thys fygne fhalt thu have for a token fpecyall,
That thu mayst beleve my wordes unfaynedlye,
Where thu haft mynded, for my memoryall,"
To buylde a temple, thu fhalt not fynysh it trulye.
But Salomon thy fonne fhall do that accyon worthye,
In token that Christ must fynysh every thynge
That I have begunne, to my prayfe everlastynge.
David rex pius.
Immortall glorye to the, moft heavenlye kynge,
For that thu haft geven contynuall vyctorye
To me thy fervaunt, ever fens my anoyntynge,
And also before, by manye conqueftes worthye.
A beare and lyon I flewe through thy ftrength onlye.
I flew Golias, which was vi. cubites longe.
Agaynft thy enemyes thu madeft me ever ftronge.
My fleshlye frayleneffe made me do deadlye wronge,
And cleane to forget thy lawes of ryghteoufneffe.
And though thu vyfytedft my fynnefulneffe amonge,
With peftylent plages, and other unquyetneffe;
Yet never tokeft thu from me the plenteoufneffe
Of thy godly fprete, whych thu in me dedyft plant.
I havynge remorce, thy grace coulde never want.
For in conclufyon, thy everlastynge covenaunt
Thu gaveft unto me for all my wycked fynne;
And haft promyfed here by proteftacyon conftaunt,
That one of my fede fhall foch hygh fortune wynne,
As never ded man fens thys worlde ded begynne.
By hys power he fhall put Sathan from hys holde,
In rejoyce wherof to fynge wyll I be bolde.
Canora voce tunc incipit Antiphonam, O Adonai, quam (ut prius) profequetur chorus cum organis.
O Lorde God Adonai, and gyde of the faythfull howse of Ifrael, whych fumtyme aperedeft in the flamyng bushe to Mofes, and to hym dedft geve a lawe in mounte Syna, come now for to redeme us in the ftrengthe of thy ryght hande.
BROUGHT up chyldren from their first infancye, Whych now defpyfeth iny godlye inftruccyons. An oxe knoweth hys Lorde, an affe hys mafter's dewtye, But Ifrael wyll not know me, nor my condycyons. Oh frowarde people! geven all to fuperftycyons, Unnaturall chyldren, expert in blafphemyes, Provoketh me to hate, by their ydolatryes.
Take hede to my wordes, ye tyrauntes of Sodoma,
vayne ye offer your facryfyce to me.
Dyfcontent I am with yow beaftes, of Gomorra,
And have no pleasure whan I your offerynges fe,
I abhorre your faftes and your folempnyte.
For your tradycyons my wayes ye fet apart,
Your workes are in vayne, I hate them from the hart.
Efaias propheta.
Thy cytie, fwete Lorde, is now become unfaythfull,
And her condycyons are turned up
fo downe.
Her lyfe is unchaft, her actes be very hurtefull,
Her murther and theft hath darkened her renowne.
Covetoufe rewardes doth fo their confcyence drowne,
That the fatherleffe they wyll not help to ryght,
The poore wydowe's caufe come not afore their fyght.
Thy peceable pathes feke they neyther daye nor nyght;
But walke wycked wayes after their fantasye.
Convert their hartes, Lorde, and geve them thy true lyght,
That they maye perceyve their cuftomable folye:
Leave them not helpleffe in fo depe myferye,
But call them from it of thy moft fpecyall grace,
By thy true prophetes, to their fowle's helthe and folace.
Pater cæleftis.
First they had fathers, than had they patryarkes, Than dukes, than judges to their gydes and monarkes.
Now have they flowte kynges, yet are they wycked styll,
And wyll in no wyfe my pleafaunt lawes fulfyll.
Alwayes they applye to ydolles worthyppynge,
From the vyle begger to the anoynted kynge.
Efaias propheta.
For that cause thu haft in two devyded them,
In Samaria the one, the other in Hierufalem.
The kynge of Juda in Hierufalem ded dwell,
And in Samaria the kynge of Ifrael.
Ten of the twelve trybes bycame Samarytanes.
And the other two were Hierofolymytanes.
In both these cuntreyes, accordynge to their doynges,
Thu permyttedeft them to have most cruell kynges.
The firft of Juda was wycked kynge Roboam,
Of Ifrael the first was that cruell Hieroboam;
Abia than folowed, and in the other Nadab,
Than Bafa, then Hela, then Zambri, Joram and Achab.
Then Ochofias, then Athalia, then Joas;
On the other part was Joathan and Achas.
To rehearce them all that have done wretchydlye
In the fyght of the, it were longe verelye
Pater cæleftis.
For the wycked fynne of fylthye ydolatrye,
Whych the ten trybes ded in the lande of Samarye,
In fpace of one daye fyfty thousand men I flewe,
Thre of their cyties alfo I overthrewe,
And left the people in foche captyvyte,
That in all the worlde they wyft not whyther to fle.
The other ii. trybes, whan they from me went back
To ydolatrye, I left in the hande of Sefack,
The kynge of Egipt, whych toke awaye their treasure,
Convayed their cattel, and flewe them without measure.
In tyme of Achas, an hondred thousande and twentye
Were flayne at one tyme for their ydolatrye.
Two hondred thousande from thens were captyve led,
Their goodes dyfperfed, and they with penurye fed.
Seldom they fayle it, but eyther the Egipcyanes
Have them in bondage, or els the Aflyreanes.
And alone they maye thanke their ydolatrye.
Efaias propheta.
Wele, yet bleffed Lorde, releve them with thy mercye.
|