The canticles or Balades of Salomon :: :: University of Virginia Library

The Younglynges although they haue been long ledde in darknes, and seduced with blyndnes of errours, yet hearyng Christe truly preached, with his death, power, and merites throughly declared, dooe hungre and thyrste for the true righteousnes: Whiche that they maye the sooner obtayne, they demaunde of the Church whither her Beloued is goen, and that twyse for faylyng, shewyng therby theyr earnestnes that they haue to helpe to seke hym, syngyng as foloweth.

Of women fayrest thou,
Because thou doest excell
In fayth, all other foke
That haue receyued the yoke
Of the gospell:

For whome thou sekest now,
Hym whome thou louest so well,
Why whither is he gone?
Why left he thee alone?
Tell we praye thee.

Why whither is he goen,
Whome thou doest loue so well,
Howe parted he away?

Shew vs that we eke maye.
Seke hym with thee.

xlvi. The Spouse to the Younglinges.

The Argument.

The Churche whiche euen nowe sought for her beloued & could not fynde hym, beyng now required of the Younglynges to shew where he is, doth not only know where for to seke hym, but also where to fynde hym: and therfore maketh answer to the Younglynges, syngyng.

My Beloued descended doune
In to his fruitful orcharde:
With his good gyftes his Churche to croune,
To kepe styl the same in sauegard.

He is goen to the beddes of spice,
The bokes whiche he is declarde in:
On them to feede whiche exercise
The scriptures, that are his gardin.

To fede hym selfe among his flocke,
It euermore his wyll is:
To plucke the flowers of Abrams stocke,
His clere clothed faythful lilies.

In my Loue I alone delyght,

Whiche maketh me so ioyfull:
And I am louely in his syght,
That feedeth among the faythfull.

xlvii. Christe to his Spouse.

The Argument.

Whan the Spouse hath shewed that Christ is goen doun into his Churche whiche is his gardeyne, (not that she at any tyme lacked hym, for she had him euen whā she sought hym, but she felt hym not: & therfore she sayeth he went doun into her, because he than holpe her) and towlde also that he cummeth to the spice beddes, the bokes of holy scripture, alwayes present there to geue to all those the fruites of euerlastyng lyfe, that sincerely study, and earnestly accomplysshe the thinges taught them therin: And that besyde his presence in her and in the scriptures, he fedeth among the lilies, those are the true and faythfull beleuers: not that he eateth them, but rather they hym, in perfectly beleuyng in hym: and howe she only delyteth in hym and he in her: Christe allowyng her zeale prayseth her. And where as before she had a carnall iye, and false chayne of hipocritical wurkes about her fayer neck, her iudgement is now so vpryghte, and her charitable deades so good and perfect, that he delyted therwith, syngeth.

Fvll fayer art thou my frende, And frendely there withall.
For why thy good wyll doeth extende,
To all that on thee call.

Fayer, fayrer than the gem, Thou art, and doest appere,
Lyke the heauenly Ierusalem,
Whiche is to God so dere.

And lyke an armye dight, So dreadful art thou alse:
Whiche with my wurde doest put to flyght,
Al doctrines that be false.

Thou holdest furth my crosse, that bluddy standard strong:
And sayest mennes wurkes therto are mosse,
And doe my death great wrong.

Thy iudgement in my wurd, Is paysed so vpryght,
That in my mynde I am styll sturde
In thee to haue delyght.

Turne backe from me thyne iyes, For they haue made me proude
I mean thyne earnest excercise
In iudgement wel allowed.

Thy heares, that is to saye, thy scripture grounded notes,
In lyuelynes to dure alway,
Are lyke a flocke of Goates.

Are lyke a flocke of goates, from Gileal clypped rounde:
For all thy truthes and scripture notes,
Are in the Byble founde.

Thy teeth, thy reasons strong, that doe so well agre:

Are lyke vnto the flockes of shepe
That scarce can numbred be.

Whiche clean cum vp along, Out from the washyng place.
Thyne argumentes that are so strong
In scripture take theyr grace.

Of whiche eche hath within, The truth and scripture grounde:
Lyke flockes where eche beast hath a twin,
And none is barayn founde.

Lyke to the Pomegarnarde, That cut in twayne, is read:
So all thy wurkes, thy chekes, outwarde
Do shyne, and none are dead.

Besydes thy fyllet fine, My wurkes that can not fayle:
Whiche garnysh al good wurkes of thyne,
Whiche els could not auayle.

xlviii. Christe to his Spouse.

The Argument.

Christe beyng highly pleased with his Spouses iyes and heares, whiche she lacked at the fyrste, prayseth her now. But aboue all his Churches, bothe Quenes, whiche are the perfectest: concubines, that are not throwly perfect: and damsels whiche yet are young in fayth: with all the rest, he prayseth one, whiche is the primatiue churche of his Apostles, callyng

her his Doue, and perfect one, to allure the Yonglinges to ensue her steppes, swetely syngyng to them.

Accordyng to the rates, of gyftes of godly grace.
Within my church there are estates, wherof no one is base.
Of whiche threscore are Quenes, that haue got perfectnes,
And there be fowerscore concubines, with damsels numbreles.
But al the rest aboue, in one doe I delyght,
One through my loue is made my doue, and perfect in my syght.
One is the chyef elect, vnto her mother dere,
To all that are of Abrams sect, who truly dyd her bear.
The daughters of Sion, those faythfull dyd her see,
And preached frankly euery one that most blessed was she.
The Quenes dyd prayse her eke, and shal so doe alwayes,
The Concubines also dyd speake, of her, excedyng prayse.

xlix. Christe to his Spouse.

The argument.

Whan Christe hath magnified his Spouse with no lyttle cōmendacion, yet is he not satisfied: but that the yonglynges maye lyke her the better, procedeth farther, comparyng her to the mornyng, to the sunne, to the moone, and to a banner: and as it were wundryng at her excellencie, singeth.

VVhat one is she so lyke the morow bryght,
Whiche yet doeth lacke the fulnes of my lyght,

Whiche she hereafter shall receyue
In glory?

Who lyke the Moone is pleasaunt to the syght,
My Moone I meane, my truth that shynes by nyght.
Whiche doeth of me her lyght receyue,
In glory?

Yea what is she so lyke the Sunne elect:
Lyke me the Sunne, chief of the chosen sect,
Whiche shyne aboue with my father,
In glory?

Yea what is she so dreadfull to beholde,
Whiche on my wurd doeth bear her selfe so bolde,
Styll standyng styffe lyke a banner,
In glory?

l. Christe to hys Spouse.

The Argument.

Whan Christ hath wundred at the excellēcie of his spouse and compared her to the mornyng, because of the lacke of perfect glory whiche she can not attayne so long as she is subiect to the fraile body: and to the Moone that is the truth whiche taketh lyght of hym, as the moone doeth of the sun, whiche as it shyneth in the darke, so doeth the Churche in aduersitie and persecucion: and to the Sunne, that is hymselfe the Sunne of righteousnes, callynge her electe as hymselfe, the chefe and principal elect of his father: and last of all to a banner, for her terriblenes in fraying her aduersaries: whan

he hath thus wunderyngly praysed her, he cummeth downe into her to se yf his vines bud, and pomegrates flower, whether his elect haue a lyuely iustifiyng fayth, whiche wurketh by loue, that if they be barayn he maye curse them as he dyd the fruteles fygtree. Math. xx. and whan they be wydered to cast them out of his gardayne. And beyng nowe in his Nutgardeyn, he declareth why he cummeth, singyng.

To my Nutgardayn free,
Whom tribulacions hyde:
I am cum the saplynges for to see,
Whiche grow by the ryuers syde.

To see yf that the vine,
The fayth that I thynke so good,
With the wurkes and fruites of loue diuine,
Begyn thorowly to bud.

To see yf that the plantes,
Of fine Pomegranates yelde:
Pleasaunt fruites, whiche euery tree that wantes
Shall be cast furth from my fyelde.

li. The Spouse to her Beloued.

The Argument.

Whan Christ hath told his Spouse that he is descended into her to see the fruites of her faythful people, she ignoraunt before hearyng nowe his voyce, confesseth her ignoraunce, acknowlagyng her imperfeccion. And not withstandyng the greate prayses wherewith her Beloued magnified her, she presumeth not: but humbly acknowlegyng her estate confesseth her ignoraunce: syngyng.

I knew not I, Thou wast so ny,
Tyll by thy wurd so swete,
Thou madest me know, Thou wast cum low,
And louely dydst me grete.

I was I graunt, Blynde ignoraunt.
And knew nothing at all:
Through flesh or blood, That coulde doe good,
Before thou didst me call.

Thy wurd awaye, My wyt I saye
Knewe no whyt of thy wyll:
I knew not why, Thou camest so nye,
With frute thy self refyll.

But whan thy voyce (That doeth reioyce
All faythful that it hear)
Sounded so shrill, I knew thy wyll,
And what thou madest there.

lii. The Spouse to the Younlinges.

The Argument.

The Churche hauyng before the Younglynges confessed her ignoraunce, and declared that without the wurde of God no man can be certified of his wyll, and doubtyng nowe least they yet waueryng for want of knowlege, and ouercharged with the heauie burden of the body, flesh, and sin, should dispayer of Gods fauour, because their offences are so great that they be neyther able to bear them, nor to recompence thē with the best wurkes they can deuise: and also because they lacke the wurkes whiche Christe cam to see in hys gardeyne:

And to shewe that it is Christes wyl that all whiche are of his Churche ought to bear one an others burdeyne, she syngeth to the Younglynges.

Fear not ye young though heauy be your yoke,
Your yoke of sinne that causeth you to feare:
For Christe my soule, whiche lately to me spoke,
Wyll that I healpe the burdens byg to beare,
Of Aminadif.

Aminadif, my wyllyng people be,
Suche as gladly Gods wurd both doe and heare:
Whose wheles to draw my soule appoynted me:
Christ wyll I shall the burdens help to bear
Of Aminadif.

liii. The Younglynges to the Spouse.

The Younglynges hauyng heard the Churches great consolacion, and seyng what paynes she taketh for theyr sake in fasting and prayers, to relieue them of theyr heauy burden, call her now backe agayne to preache: that they maye beholde and see, as well the precious giftes of God within her, as the tribulacions they see vpon her, syngyng as foloweth.

Payne not thyselfe so sore, Our burdens byg to bear.
But that as we haue doen before, We may thy prechīg hear:
Cum agayne cum agayne,
Returne thou perfect one, Thou plentifull in peace,

That we may se thy gyfts eche one: For our faynt faythes encrece
Cum agayne, cum agayne.

liiii. Christe to the Younglynges.

The Argument.

Whan the Younglynges whiche iudge not by the outewarde wurkes of fastyng, praying, and almose deedes, with other rites and ceremonies whiche the wycked may doe vnder hipocrisie with as goodly a face and shew as the moste faythfull, haue called agayn the churche, to vewe her as well within as without: Christe to thintent that his faythfull be not deceyued, teacheth howe and by what markes to knowe his churche, singyng to the yong.

Ye young that call agayne, My spouse, my chyef delite,
What is the cause that ye so fayne
Would see the Sulamite?

In her what would ye see, What thyng would ye behold?
She is not as ye thynke she bee
Gaye clad in sylke and golde.

But simple to the syght in her are pitched tentes,
With souldiers full armed to fyght
Agaynst all false intentes.

If this syght maye ye please, whiche pleaseth me alone,
Ye maye beholde her at your ease,
And vewe her gyftes eche one.

Here endeth the syxte Chapter.