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University of Virginia Library

[The Courte of Vertu

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

Hall, John

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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

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.

To his friend E. H.

Ecclesiasticus .xxiii.

The songe of Esechia,

Out of the thirde chapiter of Ieremies lamentations.

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,

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.

Or thus out of Iustinus.

Of honor out of Tully.

Of grace out of S. Bernarde.

Of temperance out of Plutarche.

Of tale bearers out of saynt Hierome.

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,

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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[87]

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

My pen obey my wyll a whyle
till I see good to ende this stile:
for if all men would sinne abhorre
such songs we nede not to compile,
nor my pen should write so no more.

If all men of their worde were true,
Promis to kepe and paye their due:
What nede had pennes to worke therfore?

88

But sythe no whyght wyll truthe ensue:
Pennes were as good to wryte no more.

Pennes are abusde, and that dayly,
About all craft and vsury:
We may well say alas therfore.
And yet least we make them angry
It semes as good to wryte no more.

Yet let vs shewe the lordes intent,
Howe that for gaynes nought should be lent,
All fashod God wyll plage ryght sore.
And yet my penne least we be shent,
It semes as good to wryte no more.

For all in vayne we speake scripture,
To suche as wyll in synne endure?
For they amende neuer the more.
But hate all godly counsayle pure.
That warneth them to synne no more.

Yet if all men with suche pretence,
Should cease to shewe their conscience,
They should transgresse gods holy lore.
Yet sythe none wyll it reuerence,
It semes as good to wryte no more.

The scripture thus doth specifie
In Dauids psalmes, blessed is he,
That lendeth freely ryche and poore.
Without all gayne of vsury:
Yet doe they vse it styll the more.

Though some for writing wyl vs blame.

[88]

These crafty men, whome we not name,
These false gotte goodes they must restore,
To those of whom they got the same,
Or els be damnde for euer more.

For though some men haue bene er thys,
In vsury that dyd amys,
And haue bene warnde of it before:
That doo repent yet fewe there ys,
But rather vse it more and more.

But sure in hell theyr bed is made,
And all that vse of crafte the trade
Are lyke the same to rue ryght sore:
In crafte and guyle yet syth they wade,
It were as good to wryte no more.

God graunt as in this song is ment,
We may amende all and repent:
Rootyng out vyce to the herde core,
To serue the lorde omnipotent,
In loue and truthe for euermore.