All the workes of Iohn Taylor the Water-Poet Being Sixty and three in Number. Collected into one Volume by the Author [i.e. John Taylor]: With sundry new Additions, corrected, reuised, and newly Imprinted |
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[The Prince of Princes, and the King of Kings] |
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 | All the workes of Iohn Taylor the Water-Poet |  |
105
[The Prince of Princes, and the King of Kings]
The Prince of Princes, and the King of Kings,Whose Eye of Prouidence foresees all things,
To whom what euer was, or ere shall be,
Is present still before his Maiesty.
Who doth dispose of all things as he list,
And graspeth Time in his eternall fist;
He sees and knowes (for vs) what's bad or good.
And all things is by him well vnderstood,
Mens weake coniectures no way can areed,
What's in th'immortall Parlament decreed,
And what the Trinitie concludeth there,
We must expect it with obedience here.
Then let not any man presume so farre,
To search what the Almighties councels are,
But let our wils attend vpon his will,
And let his will be our direction still.
Let not Pleibeans be inquisitiue,
Or into any profound State-businesse diue.
We in fiue hundred and nere sixty yeare,
Since first the Norman did the Scepter beare,
Haue many hopefull royall Princes had,
Who as Heau'n pleas'd to blesse, were good or bad,
Beauclarke was first (who was first Henry crown'd)
For learning and for wisdome high renown'd)
Beyond the verge of Christendomes swift Fame,
Did make the world admire his noble name.
The blacke Prince Edward, all his life time ran
The race of an accomplisht Gentleman:
His valour and tryumphant victories,
Did fill the world and mount vnto the skyes.
The warlike Henry of that name the fist,
With his innated vertue vp did lift
His name and fame to such perspicuous grace,
Which time or no obliuion can deface,
Prince Arthur whom our Chronicles record,
To be a vertuous and a hopefull Lord:
His budding fortunes were by death preuented,
And as he liu'd belou'd, he dy'd lamented.
His brother Henry from his fall did spring,
First to be Prince of Wales, then Englands King
He was magnificent and fortunate,
According to the greatnesse of his state.
Next Edward his vndoubted heyre by birth,
Who (for the sins of men vpon the earth)
God tooke him hence as he began to bloome,
Whose worthy memory mens hearts intombe.
Prince Henry last, a Prince of as great hope
As ere was any yet beneath the Cope.
He liu'd and dy'd bewailed and renown'd,
And left this Land with teares of sorrow drown'd.
Then onely this illustrious branch remain'd,
Our gracious Charles, by Heauens high grace ordain'd,
To be our Ioy, whose vertues (as I gather)
Will length the life of his beloued Father.
True loue and honour made his Highnesse please,
Aduenturously to passe ore Lands and Seas.
With hazard of his royall person and
In that, the hope of all our happy Land.
But blessed be his Name, whose great protection
Preseru'd him still from change of ayres infection,
That gaue him health and strength mongst sundry Nations,
T'endure and like their dyets variations,
That though to others these things might be strange,
Yet did his Princely vigour neuer change,
But with a strong and able constitution,
He bore out all with manly resolution.
Loue sometimes made the Gods themselues disguise,
And muffle vp their mighty Dieties,
And vertuous Princes of the Gods haue ods,
When Princes goodnesse doe outgoe the Gods,
Then foolish man this is no worke of thine,
But operation of the power Diuine,
Let God alone with what he hath in hand,
'Tis sawcy, folly, madnesse, to withstand
What his eternall wisedome hath decreed,
Who better knowes then we doe, what we need.
To him lets pray for his most safe protection,
Him we implore for his most sure direction:
Let his assistance be Prince Charles his guide.
That in the end God may be glorifide,
Let vs amendment in our liues expresse,
And let our thankes be more, our sins be lesse.
| All the workes of Iohn Taylor the Water-Poet | |