XCIV.

ANONYMOUS.

LINES,

From "Catascopos."

I SEE good lawes for godlie vse deuised;
The iust man's right, and rigor for offenses,
By filthy lucre masqued and disguised;
Truth's but a sound to shadow foule pretenses;
For pride, ambition, ire, and auarice,

Do dull, dimme, blanch, and blind the wisest eies.
I see how wars, the canker of estate,

Hel's image and al commonweales' downthrow,
Spring from the proud ambitious hart's debate,
Where rancor, spleene, and enuie overflow:
Not multitudes of men conquest atchieve;
"Tis onely God that victorie doth giue,

JOHN ABBOTT.

THE FORCE OF CONTRITION.

In the first age, when world did new begin,
With many raines thou didst drowne man and sin:
Againe vnto the watery flouds giue scope,
Againe the cataracts of heauen let ope.
We not of Abana and Pharpar dreame,
We must be curd'e in onely Iordan's streame-
Blest streame, which from thy mercies' head doth
rise,

And thence descending runneth through our eies.
Waters beginning from earthe's slimie vaines
Not able are to purifie our staines.

Such are those teares which from hel's feare do

grow,

Such are those teares which from self-loue do flow.
The raine which this detested elfe must drowne
Must from aboue, must from high heauen come
downe :

Wherefore salt teares for sin send down apace-
O happie dying in such streames of grace !-
A sea of griefe in eu'ry place abound,
And in the waues let vgly sin be drown'd.
Each one of vs a sinner's title beares,―
Let vs be Magdalens in shedding teares:
Of Hesebon, large fish-pondes be our eyes;
The waters wofull plaintes, the fish sad cries.

[JAMES I. POETS. ]

23

XCVI.

JOHN RHODES.

A SONG OF PRAISE AND THANKESGIVING TO
GOD FOR THE KING'S MAJESTY RAIGNE.
WITH cheerefull voice we sing to thee,
O Lord, accept our melodie;
For thou in mercy, as we see,
Hast delt with us most louingly,
In giuing vs a royall king,

Whose fame in all the world doth ring.
God save King James, and still pull downe
All those that would annoy his crowne.

In wisdome like to Solomon,

His grace doth sit in princely seate,
With sword of iustice in his hand,

And maintaines truth for small and great :
He doeth succeede our Hester, shee

Who neuer will forgotten bee.

God save King James, etc.

Like Constantine the emperour,
He dooth begin his royall raigne,
Whereat his foes are danted much,
And seekes to him for grace amaine.
Lord, make their peace to bee in thee,
And then thrice happy shall we be.

God save King James, etc.
The Gospell pure he dooth maintaine,
Among vs preached as before :
Blind ignorance it shall not raigne,
As some did hope and threaten sore.

Our realm God hath established,

And former feares from vs are fled.

Lift

God save King James, etc.

vp your hearts to God on hie, And sing with one consent of minde Laude and prayse to the Trinity, For our good king that is so kinde. Let vs reioyce in God alway That we have seene this happie day.

God save King James, etc.

All countries ioyne with vs in loue,
To beat down Turke and Pope apace.
The king and counsel's acts approue;
Let vertue now all vice deface.
Amidst all ioyes prepare to dye,
That we may liue eternally.

God save King James, etc.

XCVII.

ANONYMOUS.

THE MIRACLES OF OUR SAVIOUR.

AN angel's trumpe from heauen proclaim'd his name
IESUS, who came lost Adam's impes to saue;
Whose wondrous actes deserues eternall fame :
He Lazarus reuiued from the graue,

Whose stincking coarse, and rotten carkas colde,
Four daies and nights was couered in the molde.
What shall I speake of other dead, reuiued?
Or make rehearsell of such obiects sere,
Of blind and lame, of sence and sight depriued?
He made the dumbe to speake and deafe to heare;
He fowle infected soules from sinne did cure,
And vgly vlcer'd leapers clensed pure.

When waltring waues and windes would ouerthrow
The shaking ships amid the seas ytost,
He caus'd the sturdie stormes to stoope below,
And saued ships and men like to be lost:
He made the lame in leaping beare his bed,
And with fiue loaves, two fish, fiue thousand fed.

He water euen conuerted into wine;
He daunted deuills, and furies put to flight;
He for thy sake did let them strangle swine;
He taught all sorts of men to follow light.
His workes within no leaues can be enroul'd ;
The ample world his wonders cannot hould.