University of Virginia Library

[Canticum Mosis]

Deuteronomie cap. xxxii.

ye gloriouse heauinnis giue eire & I sall speik
see earth thou harken to my speichis eik
my doctrine shall lyke raine distill & poure
my talk as deu sall softlie slyde this houre
lyke smallest schouris on tendir grasse ungrouin
& greatest raines on rank grasse micht be mouin
for I am presently for to proclame
of iehoua the great & michtie name
to oure great god yeild excellence thairfoire
that rok quhois uorkis are perfyt euermoire
for all his uayes are uery lau & richt
I meane to god both constant & of micht
& quho is uoyde of uikkidnes or urong
of that most iust & upricht is my song
the uikked generation & the throuin
defilid thaim selfis uith uyces of thaire ouin
for that thay uayre not his ouen sonnes belouid
fond foolysh people shoulde ye haue remouid
youre faith from god repaying suche á thing
is it not he that is youre father & king
youre oune redemair magnifying you
& euen that same quho hath confirmid you
think of the uorldis long laist to stay youre rage
tak head unto the yearis of euery age
requyre youre fatheris for to tell the treuth
to aske youre elderis als be uoyde of sleuth
quhen he to nationis gaue thaire duelling place
diuyding adamis sonnes & all thaire race
euen the most hie quho setlid marches then
for israellis sonnes & all thaire heapes of men
for that of iehoua the people deir
uaire of the uorlde his pairt & portion neir
euen iacob quhom he tenderis as his hairt
thay are his ouin inheritance & pairt
he found thaime in the desert uylde & uyde
fullfilld uith scaircetie & uith tearis beside
he uatched about thaime teaching thaime his uill
as aple of ee preserued thaim euir still
& as the eagle stirrith up hir nest
& on hir young sittis for thaire heit & rest
& streitchis sine abrod hir uingis to tak
& beir hir birdis upon thaime & hir bak
so iehoua he did alone thaime gyde
& no uayes seamed á strainger at that tyde
he buire thaime on the pairtis of earth most hie
to eat the fruites by feildis that randerit be
from stonis of craigis he gaue thaime oylee fyne
& maide thaime out of rokkis souke honny syne
he gaue thaime buttir from the cattell great
& milk from flokkis of sheip that simply bleat
uith cleinly fatt of young & tender lammis
of basan eik the olde flokk gyding rammis
of gaitis uithall, yea euen of quheate the best
ye also drank the bloode of berries prest
bot quhen as israell had uaxit fatt
thay spurrid againe & did thay uist no quhat
nou are ye uaxit great & fatt at onis
& creishe hath ouircledd youre lyre & bonis
for from thayre god that maide thaime up thay fell
& of thaire helth contemned the rokke & uell
thay mouid him to be gealouse of thaime all
for that upon strainge idolis thay did call
& for suche lyke abominationis uyld
thay did prouoke his uraith quhois land thay fyld
thay sacrificed to deuillis in goddis ouin place
goddis quhom thay kneu not laiking any grace
neu goddis & straingeris brocht thaire from astray
quhom thare foirefatheris feared not any uay
ye haue forgott the rokke that you begatt
youre strong creatoure god, alsueill as that
quhich quhen iehoua sau, for urayth & spyt
he lichlyid all his sonnes & dauchteris quyt
& said my face from those nou uill I hyde
& for to see thayre end I uill abyde
thay are a generation euill inclynde
sonnes uoyde of faith or treuth into thaire mynde
for thay haue maide me gealous of suche thingis
quhom in no pairt of god allmichtie ringis
thay did prouoke & stirr me up I say
uith thayre unthankfull uanities alluay
thairfoire I uill thaime gealouse mak againe
for most unuorthy people, men prophaine
for nationis fond, a uondrouse thing to heir
I uill prouoke thaime to á trembling feare
for nou is kendlit up my uraith & fyre
to burne to groundis of graiues befoire it tyre
& shall consume the earth hir birth uithall
& als in flamme the groundis of montainis tall
all kynde of euill I uill upon thaime send
& als consume my dairtis on thaime in end
quhen thay sall be uith hunger sore oprest
& eattin up uith the contagiouse pest
I shall make beistis teeth also thaime deuoire
uith earthy serpentis vennumis hairming moire
the suorde shall urakke & all destroye uithout
& in thaire chalmeris terroure thaime about
als uell the young man as the mayden myld
the olde quheit hayrid man uith the souking chyld
& if I had not feared thaire enmies pryde
& that thaire foes uoulde ignorantly chyde
& say it uas oure hand ue liftit up
that urocht this uorke & not iehouas cuppe
I uoulde haue said I uill thaime bannische still
from place to place for suche it uas my uill
extinguishing thayre memorie this day
from mortall men for euer & for aye
for thay are bot á nation uoyde of uitt
uithout all knouledge quhat is for thaime fitt
uoulde god thay kneu & understud all this
to tak head to thaire end I uold thaime uiss
hou one coulde chase á thousand men, & tuo
ten hundreth thousand chase thocht many mo
gif nocht, I uould thay kneu because thaire rokke
euen iehoua did giue thaime under yokke
for that thaire rokke is lyke to ours in nocht
as foes can uitness if thaire myndis uaire socht
for thaire uyne tree surpassis sodomis sure
& thaime that ammonites the uikked buire
thaire berries are uith uennum suelld & great
thaire clusteris are unto thaime bitter meat
the uennume of the dragonis is thaire uyne
& mixit uith aspiccis bittir poyson syne
and is not all this thing hidd uith me
& in my treasouris lokkit uith my kie
reuenge is myne & payment of the past
thaire fitt shall stakkir then in tyme at last
the tyme of all thaire miseries is neir
& quhat uill fall thaime shortly shall appeir
quhen iehoua shall iudge his people quhole
& for his seruantis soire repentance thole
quhen he shall spy thaire forces faill apace
inclusid & or skaipit alyke in euill cace
then shall he say quhaire are thaire goddis nou gone
quhaire on thay leind quhaire is that rokke & stone
upon quhose ofringis thay did fattlie feid
& quhose oblation uyne thay drank indeid
lett those aryse & help you nou lett see
& lett that craig á cauerne to you be
beholde me nou to be my only sell
& that no god may uith me ioyne or mell
that it is only I quho puttis to death
& I that dois restoire to uitall breath
that it is I quho uoundis & hailis anone
none can bereaue it from my handis not one
for I streache up my handis to heauen & sayis
I liue eternallie as nou alluayes
quhen I shall shairpe my glancing birnishit brand
& tak my ouin great iudgement in my hand
I shall reuenge me on my foes but staye
& all my haitteris iustly shall repaye
I shall make dronkin all my arroues kein
uith bloode of thaime that still my foes hath bene
& als my blaide it shall consume & uaist
thaire godless flesh uith á reuenging haist
my arroues dronke, for bloode thay shall retaine
of creuall uoundit captiue men or slayne
& so I uill at my first foes beginn
& tak euen to this tyme reuenge of sinn
his people sing sing nationis in youre moode
for that he uill reuenge his peoples bloode
& thaire reuenge makis on his foes to licht
syne doth his lande & people purge aricht