A Hyve Fvll of Hunnye :: :: University of Virginia Library

How Noah and his Sonnes were blest,
Forbid to eate the Blood of Beast.
Forbid also Mans Blood to shead,
The law of Sword that striketh dead.
A promise made, God wil no more,
The VVorld with Floud droune, as before.
He geues a Raynbow for a token,
That to confirme which he hath spoken.
Noha with VVyne is dronke become,
He curseth Cham his seconde Sonne.

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1

Almyghty God did Noah blesse,
and his three Sonnes also,
And sayd, increase and multiplye,
and fil the Earth and growe.

2

The feare & drede of you shalbee
vppon al Beastes on earth,
Upon all Foules, on Wormes and Fish,
on all that draweth breath.

3

For all is geuen vnto your handes,
and all that Lyfe doth beare,
Shal be your Meate, and as grene her be
so giue I al that's there.

4

Onely the Flesh that's with his lyfe,
which is his Blood to name.
Who so he be that eates therof
shal perish in the same.

5

For verely the Blood of you,
wherein your lyues contayne,
I wil requyre it at your handes,
the same to quyte agayne,

6

I wil requyre it from the Beast,
that walloweth in the myre.
From Man, and from Mans brothers hand,
I wil Mans lyfe requyre.

7

What Man from Man doth shed mans Bloode
putting the man to payne.
By man lykewyse shal haue his Blood
so shed and spilt agayne.

8

For Man is made lyke vnto God,
commit not then such sinne:
But multiply and bryng forth Fruite
the Earth t'engender in.

9

To Noah and his Sonnes with him
God spake and thus sayd he,

A Cou'nant set I vp with you,
and your Posterity:

10

And with eche liuing Creature els,
that from the Flood was free,
Both Foule, and Beast, and Cattel all
and what so ere it bee

11

Upon the Earth that was with the,
and from the Arke did passe:
According eu'ry lyuing thinge,
as then my pleasure was.

12

This is the Cou'naunt that I make,
from henceforth neuermore
Will I agayne the world destroye,
With water as before.

13

And of my Cou'naunt this shalbe
the sygne and token sure
Twene me and you, and al the World,
for euer to indure.

14

My Bowe in Cloud I haue there set,
that when a Clowde shall falle,
This Bowe therin shall then be seene,
of liuing Creatures all.

15

And I wil not vnmyndful be,
of this my Cou'naunt past,
Twixt me and you, and euery Flesh,
Whyles that the Worde shal last.

16

But stil will thinke vpon the same,
and loke vpon the Bowe,
The Token, Signe, and Seale most sure,
of Couenaunt that I showe,

17

The Sonnes of Noah were but Three
that from the Arke did passe,
The first was Sem, the second Cham,
the third yong Iaphet was.

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18

And of them three, all men that be,
or hath bene since the Flood,
On Earthe haue sprong and shal so longe
as God shall thinke it good.

19

This Noah, Father to the three,
graundsire to Chanaan,
Could digg the ground, and Uineyardes plant,
and was an Husbandman.

20

It chaunced hym, so much to drynke,
the Liccour of the Uyne,
That in his Tent he naked slepte
as ouerchargde wyth Wyne.

21

And Cham his eldest Sonne saue one,
Father to Chanaan,
Came in and sawe his father lye,
asleepe and naked than.

22

Did see his Fathers Priuities,
and laughed at the same:
Went forthe, and tolde his Brethren both:
and they wyth honest shame,

23

A Mantell on theyr shoulders toke,
and so they backwardes went,
And with the same did couer him,
thus sleepyng in hys tent.

24

As soone as Noah was awake:
and force of wine was donne.
And wist well what yonge Iaphet did,
and Sem his eldest sonne:

25

Hee would not curse this Cham his Sonne,
which naked did him see:
But sayd a thrall of Seruantes all
yonge Chanaan shalbe

26

To brethren his: and God of Sem
bee blest with lastinge praise.

26

To brethern his, and God of Sem
be blest with lasting prayse.
And God younge Iaphet blest likewise,
with such increasyng dayes,

27

As he may dwel in tentes of Sem,
and prayse the Lord therfore.
And Canaan, shall serue them both,
from henceforth euermore.

28

When Noah thus had geuen his curse
on Ham, his second Sonne,
And blessed both the other twayne,
for that which they had donne.

29

When three hundreth and fiftie yeares
after the floude was past,
Euen then to God he made accompte,
and gaue the Ghoast at last.

30

So all the dayes of Noahs liefe,
to vs as may appeare,
Before the floud, and after, was
nyne Hundred, Fiftye yeare.