[The Courte of Vertu :: :: University of Virginia Library

[The Courte of Vertu

contaynynge many holy songes, Sonettes, psalmes and ballettes] [by John Hall]

Hall, John

[section]

The Prologue.

The prayse of vertue.

The prayse of faithe.

The prayse of hope, out of many places of scripture.

The prayse of Godly loue or charitie

The prayse of Godly wysdome

[subsection]

An example of a contemplatiue minde in the seruice of God,

An example how that we should alwayes be thankefull vnto almighty God for his benefites,

An example that God heareth all suche prayers as are made with a faithfull harte,

An example that the thankefull age gaue prayse to god, for al his benefites geuen to his creatures,

An example howe happye and blessed they are that faythfully feare god,

An example of the prayse of God, for his omnipotencie,

An example how Dauid praysed God, for his delyueryng of Israell, by great miracles, out of Egypt.

An example of praier against idolatrous tyrātes, that set vp false worship, in the reproche of Gods true worshyp.

An example of prayer from a repentant harte

An example that as wel penitent prayer, as ioyfull thankes and prayse, haue their due tyme and place,

An example of Gods prayse, for his great care ouer his elect, in disapointing their enemies & delyueringe them.

An example howe to prayse God for his almyghty powre, and gentlynes.

The nynth chapiter of Ecclesiasticus: or booke of Iesus the sonne of Sirach.

The maner of true and perfecte prayer instituted by our sauiour Iesus Christe, the only sonne of God, the wisdom of the father, and seconde person in trinitie.

The abridgement of our Christen beleefe, written as some suppose into .xii. Articles, by the .xii. holy apostels of our sauiour Iesus Chryste.

The songe of prayse and thankesgeuinge of blessed Mary the vyrgyn, mother of our lorde and sauiour Iesus Chryst, after the salutation of the Angell Gabriell, and of Elizabeth mother of blessed Iohn baptist.

The songe of prayse and thankes geuinge of holy Zachary, father of Saynct Iohn baptist, beinge restored to his speche, whiche was taken from him at the vision of the angell,

The songe of prayse and thankes geuyng of holy Simeon at the Circumcisyon of our Lorde Iesu Chryste.

The x. commaundementes of almighty God written, in ij. tables of stone with ye finger of God. The first table conteyning iiij preceptes concerneth our duety towardes God: The second table conteyning the other vj. preceptes concerneth our duetye towardes our neyghbour.

The prayse of God the father sonne and holye ghost.

Ecclesiasticus .xxiii.

The songe of Esechia,

Ieremie .ix.

Ieremie .17.

Ieremie .xxxi.

Out of the thirde chapiter of Ieremies lamentations.

Oseas .xiiii.

Ionas. Cap. ii.

A consideration of the vnryghteousnes of the vayne & miserable world.

A ditie of lamentation against the dissemblyng and hipocriticall false dealynge, vsed of moste folke in these dayes:

A ditie named blame not my lute

A song of the lute in the prayse of God, and disprayse of Idolatrie.

A ditie shewyng the office of all estates:

A Ditie declaringe the daungerous abuse of all degrees, whyche go astraye from theyr vocation.

A voyce from heauen to you shall come,

Against pryde.

An inuectue against the most hatefull vyce enuy.

Agaynst slouthe.

A description of auarice.

A dittie of the pen inueiyng against vsury and false dealyng.

An exhortation to wrathfull men.

An Inuectiue agaynst wrathe

Against drunkennes and gluttony.

Lecherie rebuked.

An earnest complaint agaynste Idolatry.

An inuectiue against sclanderous tongues.

A complaint against euel tunges

A ditie made in the tyme of the the sweatyng plague.

That vertue excelleth both ryches and beautie.

A godly warnynge to put all men in remembrance of theyr myserable estate, and that they are subiecte to death and corruption.

The faithfull souldiour of Christe, desireth assistance of God against his ghostly enemies.

An exhortacion to brotherly loue and vnitie.

The iust and true mā complaineth, that flattery and falshod is more regarded then truthe, and reioyseth that he is hated for the truthe.

An holsome warning for all men that beare the name of Christians, to lyue Christianly.

A short song exhorting all men to abstayne from the vse of false weyghtes and measures.

A Ditie declarynge the stedfast hope and trust that the faythfull afflicted soule hath in Christ Iesu.

A song shewing that no commoditie is without a discommoditie.

The iust innocent complayneth on sclanderous tongues.

The innocent sclaundered complaineth praying for the conuertion of his enemies.

The complaint of Christ our sauiour agaynst the Ingratitude of mankynde.

A Ditie warnyng all townes and liberties to chose theyr gouernours for vertue wysedom and lernyng: and by all meanes laudable, to kepe from rule the proude enuious and wylfull wycked men:

A briefe description of wysedom and folly in gouernance.

A briefe Description of truthe and falsehode.

An exhortation to truthe, fayth and vertue.

A description of mans lyfe both in his owne affections and vertues.

A frendly aduertisement.

That selfe loue and auarice, weare neuer true friendes.

A description of frendship.

An opening of the rude peoples inconstancie.

That flattery and sclaunder are of all wyse men to be taken hede of.

That a cōstant mynde is a great pyller of bodily health.

A commendacion of vertuous exercise.

Against vndecēt busy medlers in other mens vocation neglecting their owne.

Of fortune.

Or thus out of Iustinus.

Of honor out of Tully.

Of glory.

Of vain glory.

Or thus.

Of grace out of S. Bernarde.

Of temperance out of Plutarche.

Of tale bearers out of saynt Hierome.

Of virginitie.

Of Arrogancie in studentes.

Of reuerence to age.

Of truth and falshode.

Of Inhumanitie.

Of constant temperance.

Of truth and lying.

Of the errors of the common rude multitude.

Agaynst vayne apparell,

Agaynst anger

Of frendes,

Dulce bellum inexpertis.

That the riche and myghtie should not hate the poore and lowly.

Of formed fyllets and disformed forheds.

Sentences of the wyse

A description of dignitie or true Noblenesse.

The anotomy or particular description of a byrchē broome or besome:

The description & declaration of a monstrous chyld,

An exhortation to al preachers of the Gospell, that they ought to preache as well in workes as with wordes: if they wyll preache profitably, namely to the conuertiō of soules to the truthe.

Against ye dissimulacion, craft, vnconstācie, false dealing, gredy couetousnes, vntemperate eatynge and drynkyng, and incontinencie of an old man,

A song against the sinful time wherin all thynges are out of order, and synne groweth nere vnto rypnes.

A maruaylous dreame of the Author:

A Poesis in forme of a Uisyon,

A Ditie declaryng the risyng and setting of the .xii. sygnes of the zodiake:

A Ditie made to the prayse of God, by the Author,

An other Ditie to the same purpose and vse.

A ditie to be sung of musiciens in the mornyng,

A ditie to be sung at nyght when men go to bed.

A ditie to be sung at dyner tyme and meales.

An other to the same purpose.

An other grace.

A sonnet inueyinge agaynst the abuses and pryde that reygneth among vayne women.

The complaynte of a certayne famous town for the death of an honest matron, wyfe to one of thinhabitantes of the same

An exhortacion for vertuous men to perciste in vertue and to prayse Christ the authour of vertue, to whom be all honour and glory. Amē.

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Against ye dissimulacion, craft, vnconstācie, false dealing, gredy couetousnes, vntemperate eatynge and drynkyng,
130

and incontinencie of an old man,

and the cause why the author & others forsoke & refused the societie of suche one.

O monstrous satyre
Of insaciat mynde,
Whose fylthy desyre
All vertue doth blynde.

Can neyther thyne age
Nor experience,
The vyle lust aswage
Of concupicence:

Can not the balde hed,
With bearde and heare whyte,
Once stande thee in sted
To brydle delight?

Can not the dimme eyes
And nere foure score yeres,
Once make the despyse
That in thee apperes?

How shall the young man
His wayes reforme then,
As Dauid doth scan:
When suche are ould men?

If learnyng nor tyme,
Nor number of dayes,
Can scoure away cryme,
The cause of disprayse?

[130]

Nor scripture studie
In suche a long space,
Made at hande redy
Assistance of grace?

How canst thou thy selfe
Gods messenger name?
Syth in this vyle pelfe,
Thou semest past shame?

But what man hath sene
As yet other frute,
In suche as haue bene
So beastly and brute?

With God and man to
Dissemblyng to lye:
Where all that they doe
Is Hipocrisye.

For he that wyll cloke
The enmies of God,
And saye they reuoke,
(That God hath forbod)

To shelde them from lawe,
And danger of cryme,
By crafte for to drawe
And detract the tyme:

How shall we hym thinke
The brydgroms true frende,
That falsly doth shrynke
From hym to the fende?

131

And that to make truse
Betwene wolues & shepe,
Good men to misuse
That dyd the flock kepe,

Betwene saynctes & dogs
What feloshyp is?
Betwene fylthy hogges
And chyldren of blis?

Betwene the elect.
And vyle reprobate?
Betwene the reiect,
And blessed estate.

Betwene good and bad,
Betwene heauen and hell?
Betwene subiect sad
And traytrous rebell?

Then those that proteste,
Suche vyce to forsake,
Howe can they requeste,
A peace for to make?

Making but one churche
Of vertue and vyce?
How falsly suche lurche,
Is knowne to the wyse:

If riotously
To lashe out and waste,
Moste prodigally
Of deynties to taste.

[131]

The redyest waye be,
To please God aryght,
And Gods face to se
And serue hym in spryte.

If to be careles,
To burden ones frende,
And to make redres
Haue neuer in mynde,

Borowyng frankly,
No caryng to pay:
And somtyme falsly
To shyft so away:

If to be wandryng
So fugitiuly.
Leauyng the lyuyng
Sure and constantly.

Intendyng therby
With sleyghtes to deceaue,
With subtiltie slye,
Both to take and leaue.

If bybbyng of wyne
Tyll belkyng boyle out,
Be the true ryght lyne,
To fynde heauen out.

If lasciuious talke,
Prouokyng to synne,
Be the way to walke
Heuen blysse for to wynne.

132

Then fare well saye I
All workes and vertue,
We may well defie
All good dealyng true.

But wo worth that suche
Had euer the place,
That so and so muche
The truthe doe disgrace.

Why takste in thy mouthe
My worde sayth the lord?
That hast from thy youth
All vertue abhord.

Thy lyfe to accord,
Doste also despyse:
Myxyng with my word,
Papystry and lyes.

If these causes nowe,
Be full sufficient,
Suche to dysallowe,
And from hym discent.

Also to abstayne
Hym to hyde or cloke,
Hys doynges refrayne,
And also reuoke:

My frendes I desyre,
That they beare wyth me,
Though I doo retyre,
And from suche one flee.

[132]

For I thynke the pot
Scant whole wyll appere,
Nor from fylthy spots
The water be clere.

And rather I sure
Had lyfe to forgo,
Then with mynde vnpure,
Affectionat so.

With suche one to beare,
In suche confusion,
That can not forbeare
His frayle affection.

University of Virginia Library

Against ye dissimulacion, craft, vnconstācie, false dealing, gredy couetousnes, vntemperate eatynge and drynkyng, 130 and incontinencie of an old man,

and the cause why the author & others forsoke & refused the societie of suche one.

Against ye dissimulacion, craft, vnconstācie, false dealing, gredy couetousnes, vntemperate eatynge and drynkyng,
130

and incontinencie of an old man,