University of Virginia Library

[When God had by his mightie power]

When God had by his mightie power
made heauen the earth & sea:
Hee shaped Adam in his fourme
from earthy slime and clay.
And placed him in Paradice,
as keeper of the same:
But hee transgrest, then God was wrath.
Who turnd him thence with shame.
Wherby, wee Children vnto him,
and heires vnto his fall:
Are apt by Nature vnto sinne,
and subiect vnto thrall.
Such is in vs the small regarde,
which Nature dooth vs giue:
If Reason did not teach a mean,
to learn vs wel to liue.
The pleasures of our pamperd Prime,
wherin wee vse to ioy:
Are but seducements vnto sinne,
whence springeth our annoy.
For let vs run our youthful race,
vnto our largest lust:
If not ere Age, when yeeres comes on,
wee finde therin no trust.
Yet wilful Youth so carelesse is,
that hee dooth rather chuse:
Although he sees how vain it is,
the wayes of vice to vse
Whence nether looue or freendly speech
may seem to mooue his minde:
Nor others harmes of lothsome shame,
which Follies fall dooth finde,
Deceit by wiles induceth him,
to taste her poisned sap:
When Error in his tender yeeres,
dooth lul him in her lap.
Wherewith his witlesse wil is brought,
vnto his owne desire:
From sinne to sinne in wilful meanes,
hee seeketh to aspire.
The dayly danger of whose fall,
if hee consider well:
With feare may daunt his carelesse minde,
in seeking to rebel.
What greeuous greef is it to see,
th'vntrust of his estate:
What cruel horror to obtain,
for sinne his Parents hate.
How lamentable ist to see,
therof the lothsome shame?
How greeuous to the eare to heare
Of Follie the exclame.
Beside what greef may greater bee,
the[n] Parents to beholde:
A shamlesse sonne in shameful sorte,
his ruin to vnfolde.
Wee see by proof the trustlesse steps
which witlesse Youth dooth tread.
Wee see how vain desire by wiles,
to follie dooth him lead.
Whose wilful paths so plesant be,
in soothing of his minde:
That hee forgets how vain it is,
vntil his fall hee finde.
The tedious care his Parents had,
in tendring of his youth:
The toyle they took in teaching him,
to follow what is trueth.
The cost of welth they did bestowe,
in learning vpon him:
The charge in nurishing his Corps,
and clothing of it trim.
Are soon forgot as things of nought.
When hee comes vp to yeeres,
And vnregarding of him self,
forgets his Parents cares.
His learning left, the cost bestowed
vpon him is in vain:
His profit quite forgot vntill
his pleasure breeds his pain.
All things are irksome vnto him,
which dooth his minde perswade:
Vnto his good, but they are sweet
which shamelesse sinnes doo shade.
What lothsome vice leaues hee vnvsde,
what meanes dooth hee procure?
In seeking fondly after that,
which Reason prooues vnsure.
His wilful Fancie hee dooth feed,
with follies that be vain:
His eyes delight to gaze vpon
the troup of Venus train.
His coursie Carcasse hee dooth make,
inferiour vnto lust:
His minde is redy to receiue,
the goods he gets vniust.
His harmful hart dooth bode with harme,
his lothsome tung dooth tel:
His shamelesse sin in shamelesse sorte,
the which contents him wel,
It greeueth him to come in place,
where godly liuers bee:
The simple he derides and smiles
their dealings iust to see.
Hee glories of the gotten gain,
which wrongfully hee gets:
Hee borrowes but hee seeketh not,
again to pay his dets.
Hee runnes from place to place,
and hath no certain stay:
Such are the frutes of them who seeks,
by sinne their owne decay.
Whose greeuous end of life is such,
as may example giue:
To other viewers of their fall,
to learn them wel to liue.
But shamelesse sinne dooth beare such sawy
within the mindes of Youth:
That hee is carelesse to receiue,
the warninges tends to trueth.
And wilful led from bad to wursse,
as sencelesse of respect:
Their dutie vnto God and Man,
doo more and more neglect:
For as hee groweth vnto yeeres,
so growes hee vnto sin:
Delighted with the filthie vice
they haue been nousled in.
And fondly soothing of him self,
to run his retchlesse race:
Dooth finde occasion at the length,
to mone his wretched case.
For proofe wee see by dayly vieu,
the shamelesse fall of such:
Who vnregarding of their weale,
doo trust their wits to much.
The minde of Youth is setled so,
vnto his owne desire:
That hee is redy to obey,
what filthie sinnes require.
More perfect proofe hath not been seen,
then present at this day:
So carelesse Youth is proued now,
to seeke his owne decay.
And feeding of his carelesse minde,
with fancies that be vain:
The mean estate of quiet life,
dooth stoubbornly disdain:
Shall (I saith hee) inferiour bee,
or seeme to yeeld to those:
Whose counsaile to my lustie prime,
no taste of plesure showes.
What shall it need? the World is wide,
and I for one shall shift:
In euery place where so I come,
my learning is a gift.
My stock wil serue mee yet awhile,
my Feends wil redy bee:
If I shall want at any time,
with aid to succor mee.
Who ventures not, shall neuer win,
who looks not, can not finde:
Thus carelesse youth with fond conceits,
dooth sooth his retchlesse minde.
But when that hee hath spent his time,
in running of his race:
And wasted what his Freends him left,
ashamde to showe his face.
With wishes vain I would (saith hee)
that I had been content:
To learn a trade to liue in Youth,
which lewdly I haue spent.
The fauour which hee surely thought,
by freendship to obtain:
Hee prooues vnsure, and hee is forst,
to sterue or els take pain.
His former Freendes beholdes his want,
and wish him to forsee:
The danger of his poor estate,
wherin hee seemes to bee.
His learning nought preuaileth him,
to help him at his need:
And profferd seruice seldome now,
of entertainments speed.
Thus beeing left through lewd attempt
in danger of his fall:
To ruin, shame and misery,
hee yeelds him self a thrall.
From whence such careful thoughts of greef
doo daunt his troubled brest:
That though he would yet can hee not,
enioy his former rest.
Wherby he falls to further vice,
vnlesse of mercy great:
God dooth withdrawe his carelesse minde,
with filthy sinne repleat
My self hath tryed vnto my greef,
th'vntrust of wilful youth:
My self hath lothde the freendly speech,
which tended vnto trueth,
And soothing of my self in sin,
as carelesse of my good:
Forgot the proffit of my prime,
which Resons skil withstood.
In which estate of carelesse life,
I often did beholde:
Such sundry shiftes of shamelesse sinne,
as greeues mee to vnfolde.
Such filthie follies wherwithall,
through Fancie Youth is led:
Such boasting vaunts of vanitie,
which rules his idle hed.
Such wilful motions of the minde,
such pampering vp in pride:
Such dealings tending to deceit,
as few can them abide.
Such fraude such cruel othes in vain,
to couer his abuse:
Such redines of wit and minde,
to put his sinne in vse.
Such trusting to his owne conceit,
such bosting of his wit:
Such seeking after vain delights,
as sure are far vnfit.
Such small regarde of Parents care,
such little dutie showen:
To Elders, as vntil this time,
the like hath not been knowen.
Such lewd neglecting of their good,
such following what is vain:
Such shifts to put his vice in vre,
with coullours of disdain.
Bad are the seeds which hee doth sowe,
but wursse he reaps again:
Hee loades him self with heapes of harmes,
which he cuts vp with pain.
His harvest is a lothsome greef,
his labour tedious toyle:
And looking for a fertile ground,
hee findes a brambled soyle.
For though a while he fondly feeds,
his fancie with delight:
Ere long it vades as vapours doo,
deminish from our sight.
His youthful pleasures passe away,
as dooth a blast of winde:
Whose force once past vnto our vieu,
no state dooth leaue behinde.
And as the dreadful wallowing waues,
which surgesse in the seas:
Are of no force when as the calme,
their furie dooth appease.
So is the stay of youthes estate,
which cannot long indure,
Because it hath a thousand meanes,
his chaunges to procure.
For as hee hath a time to liue,
so all things haue a time
And Time dooth vade, so certain doo
the pleasures of our prime.
Our time the ancient Writers haue,
definde as wingd to flee.
With back and hed behinde all bare,
whose locks before her bee.
The reason why because there is,
in her a present state,
Which past, to call her back again,
wee prooue it is to late.
Her wings expresse how swift shee is,
our carelesse mindes to leaue:
Esteeming not the proffit good,
in time we might receiue.
Wherfore if Youth would haue respect,
vnto his present time:
With wishes vain olde Age should not,
bemone his idle prime.
With sorrowing sighs from heuy hart,
hee need not to lament:
The follies of his fancy fond
if time had wel been spent.
But when he lewdly dooth neglect,
the time which present is:
To serue his vse when need requires,
a time shall surely misse.
Then learn to vse thy time so wel,
that lest when time is past:
Thou wish thou hadst employd thy self,
when profferd time did last.
Look ere thou leap haue care vpon,
the danger of thy fall:
Remember that thy self and thine,
at length to cinders shall.
What hast thou then to vaunt vpon,
what glorie is in thee?
Thy dayes decaies, thy pleasures passe,
thy carcasse lothde shalbee.
Be mindful how vnsure it is,
to trost to thine estate:
Then with thy self of what is vain,
thou shalt the motions hate.
Haue care for what intent thou wast,
appointed on the earth:
Remember that thy time is vain,
when comes vncertain death.
Vse heer thy talent to thee lent,
that when thou makste account:
How thou hast spent the vse therof,
th'increase may wel surmount.
Flee from the waies of filthie vice,
learn wel in time to liue:
Bee mindful that vnto the Lord,
thou shalt a reckoning giue.
Delay not of from day to day,
to call thy self from sin:
Remember how vncertain is,
the state thou liuest in.
Eschue the snares of vain delight,
as meanes vnto thy fall:
Learn how to leaue such follies fond,
which may procure thy thrall.
And to the warnings of thy Freends,
be redy to obey:
Lest vnregarding of their woords,
thou runst to thy decay.
Let others fall example giue,
in teaching thee to flee:
The suttle snares of shamelesse sinnes,
whose paths distruction bee.
Thus in thy youth in Vertue liue,
So shall thine Age be blest:
And when thy earthly life is past,
thy soule shall liue in rest.

Nil tam dificile quod non solertia vincat.