The whole Psalter translated into English Metre :: :: University of Virginia Library

The righteous man: whom God doth feede,
Enioyneh his soule: due laudes to sing,
For his great loue: who knowth his nede,
From griefe and payne: his hart to bring,
Who steyth his state: all voyde of dread,
His dayes in peace: with ioy to lead.
Thus playth his string.

Benedic anima mea.

1

Arise my soule: blisse thou the Lord,
Addresse thy selfe: his name to spread,
My senses all: wyth iust accord,
Within without: do it in dede,
Hys holy name: due prayse record,
Thus byd ye be: in his true word.
So oft to reade.

2

Reuolue the same: in gratefull mynde,
My soule I say: to thee agayne,
His benefites to tell full kynde
To thee it is: most certaine gayne,
To God who will: him faster bynde,
Of his good grace: the more shall fynde
I tell thee playne.

3

Of all thy sinnes: the giltines,
He pardon giueth: full louingly,
In all thy sores: of heuines,
Thou mayst in hym: haue remedy,
If thou to hym: makst thine accesse
In stable hart: with faithfulnes,
Thine ease to spy.

288

4

His sauing helth: comth prestly on,
To ryd thy life: from peryls all,
To make thee scape: confusion,
He geueth good eare: whan thou doost call,
With mercy kinde: euen he alone,
With round defence: he crowneth thy mone,
No tyme to fall.

5

With all goov thinges: in plesantnes,
He feedeth thy mouth: he filleth thy will,
As Egle vseth: her new to dresse,
In age for strength: to cast her bill,
So he thy yeares: reuiueth afreshe:
Such youth in age: can God expresse.
O prayse hym still.

6

The Lord can trye: all wicked wayes,
All wrong to right: whan he seeth best
And though he sendth: some bitter dayes,
He can them sweete: with ioyfull rest,
True iudge he is: the iust to rayse,
Whan force he beares: his truth to prayse,
Than stay thy brest.

7

To Moses once: God did declare,
His wayes his will: and all his trade,
His prouidence: and daily care,
To kepe his flocke: with gentle ayde,
To Israell: what will he bare,
Theyr practise shewth: how they dyd fare,
So safe to wade.

298

8

They proued the Lord: most pitifull,
Whole bent to grace: in tyme of neede,
They felt hys helpe: most mercifull,
To anger slow: but prest to meede,
He pardon shewd: most plentifull,
To hartes contrite: and sorrowfuil.
For they must speede.

9

As do sterne Lordes: in cruelnes,
Alway he is: not chidyng sore:
He keepth not ire: the poore to presse
He mercy hath: in louyng store,
And when he fumeth: for giltines,
Yet mercy staith: hys gentlenes,
Prayse hym the more.

10

A proofe hereof: in vs all spy,
He serueth not vs: as we deserue
As our foule sinnes: for vengeance cry,
But feedth our want: our neede to serue,
Though hym we greue: as wretches thrall,
He guideth our life: and stayth our fall.
Not far to swerue.

11

How hye the heauens: this earth surmount
So far doth grace: our gylt excell,
Hys mercies great: most hily mount,
Upon those men: in feare who dwel,
Which low in hartes: theyr fautes recount,
To worship hym: as feare is wont.
O loue hym well.

290

12

How far the East: is wyde from Weast,
Whose coastes and termes: shal neuer meete,
So farre our sinnes: be set at rest,
By hys good gift: and pardon sweete
Though vs he beateth: as he knowth best
No wrath it is: but loue of breast.
No irefull heat.

13

For lyke hys chylde: the father vseth,
To nurture hym: by chastisement,
Hym farre to draw: from vayne abuse,
And yet but loue: and pity ment,
So God to man: doth mercy vse,
Who hym to feare: doth not refuse.
And will repent.

14

For he doth know: our nature frayle,
Wherof and whence: we all be made,
But dust and clay: who soone may fayle,
Wyth weyght of earth: all heauy lade
Hys grace seeth this: to our aduayle,
Els should we all: both wepe and wayle.
Full euill apayde.

15

Who markth of man: hys yeres in trade
Shall spy hys lyfe: but misery,
Euen like to herbe: though grene in blade,
That witherth soone: to hay so dry,
For lyke as flowers: in field do fade,
So wafteth man: anone decayd.
In vanitie.

291

16

This freshly flower: if wyndes so sterne
Do hym once shake: he falth away,
That where he grew: no man can learne
For brittle flesh: hath brittle stay,
Hys terme but short: to tyme eterne,
By death once past: none hym discernth
From dust and clay.

17

Though nought made here: can euer last,
Gods mercy yet: holdth stable hand
On hym that feare: to hym hath cast,
From age to age: in euery land,
Hys righteousnes: is set full fast,
To man bestowd: it will not wast
But aye shall stand.

18

These men I meane: of louely feare,
Be such as kepe: hys godly wyll
Which fast in mynd: hys worde do beare
In hart and tong: to kepe it still,
And alway geueth: full ready eare
To God theyr Lord: to them so deare
To learne hys skill.

19

Thys Lord in heauen: hath set hys place
From whence he seeth: all mortall wayes
Who rightly goth: who halth in pace:
As lyfe he ruleth: so death he stayes,
All rule doth stand: in hys good grace,
The good to kepe: the bad to chace.
To short hys dayes.

292

20

O prayse thys Lord: ye sprites of hys,
Ye angels pure: of strength so great,
Ye worke hys wyll: ye neuer misse,
Hys power ye know: hys royall seat,
Ye know what Lord: what God he is,
Ye heare hys voyce: ye see hys blisse.
Hys laudes intreat.

21

O prayse the Lord: all ye hys hostes,
Ye armies cleare: of heauenly starres,
Ye sprites so swift: ye firy ghostes,
In peace ye serue: ye rule hys warres
To do hys wyll: ye renne as postes,
In heauen and earth: in all theyr coastes.
As ministers.

22

O all ye workes: what names ye haue,
In all the world: recount his grace:
To make you all: he dyd withsaue,
Aduaunce thys Lord: in tyme and place,
O thou my soule: of thee I craue,
Extoll this Lord: he wyll thee saue.
From wofull case.