 | The Life of St. George |  |
Howe the damnyd spirites toke counsell / howe they myght vex the Christen fayth / And moue the paganys and gentylys to persecucyon of the same. Capitulum. xv.
What tyme george / in Persy thus abode
In heuynly lyfe / perseuerynge quyetly
The Christen fayth / began to spred abrode
And christen people / began to multyply
The wyckyd fendes / therat had great enuy
That man shulde so / escape theyr punysshment
Wherfore they assemblyd / theyr wyckyd parlament.
In heuynly lyfe / perseuerynge quyetly
The Christen fayth / began to spred abrode
And christen people / began to multyply
The wyckyd fendes / therat had great enuy
That man shulde so / escape theyr punysshment
Wherfore they assemblyd / theyr wyckyd parlament.
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[OMITTED]
[OMITTED] [nat withst]andyng [OMITTED] [m]yght dyuyne
Of heuyn and erth / ought to haue patronage
yet your owne slouth / to vs is great dammage
Of heuyn and erth / ought to haue patronage
yet your owne slouth / to vs is great dammage
I dare be bolde / to speke in your presence
Howe that of right / chryst is the lorde of all
yet we moste hurte / haue by our neglygence
For as we se oft / that feble man mortall
In fere and doute / for to be made as thrall
For his defence / of lyfe and lyberte
Is greatly bolder / and more dare do than we.
Howe that of right / chryst is the lorde of all
yet we moste hurte / haue by our neglygence
For as we se oft / that feble man mortall
In fere and doute / for to be made as thrall
For his defence / of lyfe and lyberte
Is greatly bolder / and more dare do than we.
To feble chyldren / we wyllyngly gyue place
A worde or fygure / our myght dryueth away
As ye may all / se / playne before your face
Whiche I forsoth / asshamyd am to say
I whiche in Troy / was honoured many a day
Whom all the Troyans toke for theyr chefe defence
Am nowe contemnyd / by myne owne neglygence.
A worde or fygure / our myght dryueth away
As ye may all / se / playne before your face
Whiche I forsoth / asshamyd am to say
I whiche in Troy / was honoured many a day
Whom all the Troyans toke for theyr chefe defence
Am nowe contemnyd / by myne owne neglygence.
I whome the grekes / by treason stale from Troy
And whome Eneas / what tyme the towne was brent
To rome conueyed / in me his hope and ioy
And whome all Rome / that cyte opulent
Honoured amonge / theyr goddes excellent
Am nowe constrayned / to lurke and hyde my hede
Skant bolde these wordes: this tyme to speke for drede.
And whome Eneas / what tyme the towne was brent
To rome conueyed / in me his hope and ioy
And whome all Rome / that cyte opulent
Honoured amonge / theyr goddes excellent
Am nowe constrayned / to lurke and hyde my hede
Skant bolde these wordes: this tyme to speke for drede.
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One lyke mysfortune / remayneth to vs all
We all are dryuen / and cast in one tempest
One way remayneth / moste chefe and principall
To fle this storme / where with we are opprest
Ourselfe agayne / reduce shall we to rest
If all our powers / conioyned be in one
And nat this wyse / eche to take part alone.
We all are dryuen / and cast in one tempest
One way remayneth / moste chefe and principall
To fle this storme / where with we are opprest
Ourselfe agayne / reduce shall we to rest
If all our powers / conioyned be in one
And nat this wyse / eche to take part alone.
Our oonly concorde / support may this ruyne
If we be faynt / what man shall vs sustayne?
But nowe syns the grettest / rulers of latyne
With sacryfyce / vs for to please are fayne
Lyft we our hertes / call we our myght agayne
Let vs reuenge / our wronges vyolent
And honour fyled: by all our hole assent.
If we be faynt / what man shall vs sustayne?
But nowe syns the grettest / rulers of latyne
With sacryfyce / vs for to please are fayne
Lyft we our hertes / call we our myght agayne
Let vs reuenge / our wronges vyolent
And honour fyled: by all our hole assent.
Howebeit our myght / this sect can nat destroy
Nor vtterly / brynge to extremyte
yet may we well / depryue theyr rest and ioy
And thoughe our foes / be myghtyer than we
yet may we profyte / by our audacyte
For many tymes / it prouyd is at length
That craft and gyle / subduyth myght and strength.
Nor vtterly / brynge to extremyte
yet may we well / depryue theyr rest and ioy
And thoughe our foes / be myghtyer than we
yet may we profyte / by our audacyte
For many tymes / it prouyd is at length
That craft and gyle / subduyth myght and strength.
And if our myght / may nat this sect subdue
yet may we well / preserue our maieste
If we by crafte / our daunger can eschewe
Auoyde of dammage / from peryll sauyd fre
Ours be the planettes / as farre as I can se
If they repugned / and were to vs contrary
Exyle were our payne / and vtter ieopardy.
yet may we well / preserue our maieste
If we by crafte / our daunger can eschewe
Auoyde of dammage / from peryll sauyd fre
Ours be the planettes / as farre as I can se
If they repugned / and were to vs contrary
Exyle were our payne / and vtter ieopardy.
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As for exyle / do we nat nowe abyde
Nere voyde of hope / and by our neglygence
To vs were shame / that ones of man were gyde
Nowe to submyt vs / vnto obedyence
Is nat our state / of noblest excellence?
We are immortall / without all drede and fere
No knyfe no fyre / nor sykenes can vs dere.
Nere voyde of hope / and by our neglygence
To vs were shame / that ones of man were gyde
Nowe to submyt vs / vnto obedyence
Is nat our state / of noblest excellence?
We are immortall / without all drede and fere
No knyfe no fyre / nor sykenes can vs dere.
We are expert / of euery elyment
No course of planettes / can vs gyde nor subdue
We lyke are to them / aboue the fyrmament
Our fyrst pure nature / nat nedeth to renewe
And nobler than they / if I the trouth shuld shewe
For wyllyngly they / lyue / in obedyence
Thoughe we be bounde / it is by vyolence.
No course of planettes / can vs gyde nor subdue
We lyke are to them / aboue the fyrmament
Our fyrst pure nature / nat nedeth to renewe
And nobler than they / if I the trouth shuld shewe
For wyllyngly they / lyue / in obedyence
Thoughe we be bounde / it is by vyolence.
But the more noble / that we haue ben longe past
By our hye courage / and great audacyte
More shame it is / this wyse to be ouercast
Longe haue we raygned / and so longe raygne shall we
If we nat yelde vs / vnto captyuyte
If we be bolde / as we haue ben before
Dayly our hononr / shall large more and more.
By our hye courage / and great audacyte
More shame it is / this wyse to be ouercast
Longe haue we raygned / and so longe raygne shall we
If we nat yelde vs / vnto captyuyte
If we be bolde / as we haue ben before
Dayly our hononr / shall large more and more.
Enstrength therfore / your myndes fast to yre
Assayle Maxymyan / the romayne emperour
Whiche by our ayde / is come to the empyre
A cruell tyraunt: brennynge in furour
Augment his malyce / by venym of rancour
Lay to your handes / conioyne your myghtes all
His hert to [kindell] / with furyes infernall.
[OMITTED]
Assayle Maxymyan / the romayne emperour
Whiche by our ayde / is come to the empyre
A cruell tyraunt: brennynge in furour
Augment his malyce / by venym of rancour
Lay to your handes / conioyne your myghtes all
His hert to [kindell] / with furyes infernall.
65
If we nat had withstande / them first of all
By our great craft / and parfyte prouydence
Out sacryfyce / shulde nowe haue ben full small
And all the worlde / shuld vs haue dryuen hens
That ought remayneth / it is by our prudence
Who that hymself / in tyme of nede wyll fayle
What fole is he / that wyll suche one bewayle.
By our great craft / and parfyte prouydence
Out sacryfyce / shulde nowe haue ben full small
And all the worlde / shuld vs haue dryuen hens
That ought remayneth / it is by our prudence
Who that hymself / in tyme of nede wyll fayle
What fole is he / that wyll suche one bewayle.
This cruell pallas / the goddes infernall
Those fendes stered / this wyse to wrath and yre
Hyr wyt and counsell / than they commendyd all
Theyr malyce kendlynge / moche feruenter than fyre
Than made they promes / in one al to conspyre
Our chrysten fayth / to waste with cruelte
And to recouer / theyr auncient mageste.
Those fendes stered / this wyse to wrath and yre
Hyr wyt and counsell / than they commendyd all
Theyr malyce kendlynge / moche feruenter than fyre
Than made they promes / in one al to conspyre
Our chrysten fayth / to waste with cruelte
And to recouer / theyr auncient mageste.
| The Life of St. George | |