The Gushing Teares of Godly Sorrow Containing, The Causes, Conditions, and Remedies of Sinne, Depending mainly upon Contrition and Confession. And they seconded, with Sacred and Comfortable passages, under the mourning Cannopie of Teares, and Repentance ... By William Lithgovv |
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The Prologue to the Reader.
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 | The Gushing Teares of Godly Sorrow |  |
The Prologue to the Reader.
Thou
mayst peruse this worke, with kynde respect,
Cause; none my good intention can controule;
The style may (not the subject) beare defect,
Some Painter will the fayrest face drawe foule:
Excuse myne age, if faultie, blame my quill,
Defects may fall, and not fayle in goodwill.
Cause; none my good intention can controule;
The style may (not the subject) beare defect,
Some Painter will the fayrest face drawe foule:
Excuse myne age, if faultie, blame my quill,
Defects may fall, and not fayle in goodwill.
My Muse declynes, downe flyde her loftie straynes
And hoarie growes, succumbing to the dust;
Old wrung inventions, from industrious paynes
Draw to the grave, where death must feede his lust:
Flesh flye in ashes, bones returne to clay,
Whence I begunne, there must my substance stay.
And hoarie growes, succumbing to the dust;
Old wrung inventions, from industrious paynes
Draw to the grave, where death must feede his lust:
Flesh flye in ashes, bones returne to clay,
Whence I begunne, there must my substance stay.
Goe thou laborious pen, and challenge tyme,
For memorie, to all succeeding ages;
In thy past workes, and high heroicke ryme,
And pregnant prose, in thryce three thousand pages:
Yet dye thou must, and Tyme shall weare thee out,
Ere seaven tymes seaven, morne ages goe about.
For memorie, to all succeeding ages;
In thy past workes, and high heroicke ryme,
And pregnant prose, in thryce three thousand pages:
Yet dye thou must, and Tyme shall weare thee out,
Ere seaven tymes seaven, morne ages goe about.
But Vertue claymes her place, and prostrate I
Must yeelde due honour, to her noble name:
Shee taught mee to take paynes, its done, and why?
To make her famous, in her flying fame:
A Sculler, may transport, a royall Queene,
As well as Oares, and both their safeties seene.
Must yeelde due honour, to her noble name:
Shee taught mee to take paynes, its done, and why?
To make her famous, in her flying fame:
A Sculler, may transport, a royall Queene,
As well as Oares, and both their safeties seene.
Trust mee, my paynes, contend, for to bee playne
No style Poeticke, may this subject clayme:
Touch but Vermilion, you shall see a stayne,
No fiction, may averre, a sacred Theame:
Nor dare Panthoas, Cynthias herball flowre
Be seene, nor spread, till rolling Phœbus lowre.
No style Poeticke, may this subject clayme:
Touch but Vermilion, you shall see a stayne,
No fiction, may averre, a sacred Theame:
Be seene, nor spread, till rolling Phœbus lowre.
Then read, misconster not, but wisely looke
If I divinely, keep a divine stile:
Which done, thou mayst, take pleasure in this booke,
An Infant, from devotion, bred the while:
Like treatise I, before neere wrote; excuse
This new borne birth, from mine old aged Muse.
If I divinely, keep a divine stile:
Which done, thou mayst, take pleasure in this booke,
An Infant, from devotion, bred the while:
Like treatise I, before neere wrote; excuse
This new borne birth, from mine old aged Muse.
See! here in generals, thou mayst observe
The cause of sinne, sinnes remedy, salt teares;
Where sharpe particulars, for repentance serve
To blazon wickednesse, and wicked feares:
What here is done, to thee, to me, to all,
May be apply'd, as each one findes his fall.
The cause of sinne, sinnes remedy, salt teares;
Where sharpe particulars, for repentance serve
To blazon wickednesse, and wicked feares:
What here is done, to thee, to me, to all,
May be apply'd, as each one findes his fall.
Yet who can stop, base Critick tongues to carpe,
For Atheists shall, and Epicures repine;
So scoffing fooles, on strings of scorne will harpe
To see this myte, a part of mine engyne:
But sitly Gnats, worse bred then Berdoan beasts,
I slight their spight, my Muse in Sion feasts.
For Atheists shall, and Epicures repine;
So scoffing fooles, on strings of scorne will harpe
To see this myte, a part of mine engyne:
But sitly Gnats, worse bred then Berdoan beasts,
I slight their spight, my Muse in Sion feasts.
Would thou contend with me, who best should write
On choice of Theames, selected between us twaine,
I could abide thy censure, take delite
In thy defects, to censure thee againe:
Since thou sits dumbe, and cannot bite, but barke,
Peace, hold thy peace, else show me thine owne wark.
But zealous eyes may come, come, and come soone,
To read this Task, if pleasd, Lo! I have done.
On choice of Theames, selected between us twaine,
I could abide thy censure, take delite
In thy defects, to censure thee againe:
Since thou sits dumbe, and cannot bite, but barke,
Peace, hold thy peace, else show me thine owne wark.
But zealous eyes may come, come, and come soone,
To read this Task, if pleasd, Lo! I have done.
To the godly and good Christian, a fellow suppliant in Christ, William Lithgovv.
| The Gushing Teares of Godly Sorrow | |