 | The Honor of the Lawe |  |
To the right honorable sir Thomas Egerton knight, Lordkeeper of the great seale, and one of the Queenes Maiesties priuy counsell, Thomas Churchyard wisheth long life, continuance of vertue and iustice, with euerlasting credit and good fame.
The honor of the Law.
The law where iudgeis plaest in princely seat,
Cam first from God(who would reform mans mis)
And well maintaind,with skill and wisdom great,
And honord much,long lovde and feared is,
Grace spreds the bowes,& goodnes brings forth frute,
Time ripens all,and hales the haruest on,
Law thresheth corne,and helps each poore mans sute,
To sow new seed,ere all old graine be gon:
But Iustice rules,(by order) all the cawes,
And is of right,the honor of the lawes.
Cam first from God(who would reform mans mis)
And well maintaind,with skill and wisdom great,
And honord much,long lovde and feared is,
Grace spreds the bowes,& goodnes brings forth frute,
Time ripens all,and hales the haruest on,
Law thresheth corne,and helps each poore mans sute,
To sow new seed,ere all old graine be gon:
But Iustice rules,(by order) all the cawes,
And is of right,the honor of the lawes.
Prowd, rich or poore,to Iustice are alike,
No parshall eie,it hath but cleerly sees,
Where to defend,to fauor, kill or strike,
And lookes intothe state of all degrees,
With loue and law,is Iustice ioined still,
The one keepes right,as hen doth clock hir broode,
The other gainsthe heat of warm goodwill,
Which is the cream,and milk of Christian foode:
Iustice wins that,and like a Lady stands,
VVith equall weights,and ballance in hir hands.
No parshall eie,it hath but cleerly sees,
Where to defend,to fauor, kill or strike,
And lookes intothe state of all degrees,
With loue and law,is Iustice ioined still,
The one keepes right,as hen doth clock hir broode,
The other gainsthe heat of warm goodwill,
Which is the cream,and milk of Christian foode:
Iustice wins that,and like a Lady stands,
VVith equall weights,and ballance in hir hands.
VVhat bears no poize,like feathers flies away,
VVhat keepeth weight,and stamp doth currant pas,
VVhat must be helptwith grains and doth decay,
Is clipt too neere,or neither gold nor glas,
The currant coin,that iustice doth allow,
Is cald iust law,true dealing and good mind,
A stamp that may,in any world go throw,
And with both friends,and foes may fauor find:
Thus Iustice dothboth law and lawyers gide,
Sees who aimes right,and who shoots short or wide.
VVhat keepeth weight,and stamp doth currant pas,
VVhat must be helptwith grains and doth decay,
Is clipt too neere,or neither gold nor glas,
The currant coin,that iustice doth allow,
Is cald iust law,true dealing and good mind,
A stamp that may,in any world go throw,
And with both friends,and foes may fauor find:
Thus Iustice dothboth law and lawyers gide,
Sees who aimes right,and who shoots short or wide.
Marks pleaders well(that lengthens sutes with words)
Lookes far in land,and can true titles sift,
Sounds deepest seas,and wades throw shallow foords,
And hates those heads,that with great finenes shift,
VVealth, praise and peace,are Iustice handmaids all,
Honor and fame,holds vp milde Iustice traine,
Truth on each side,supports hir from a fall:
And heaunly hope,in hart she doth retain:
Disdains delay,giues aid and helpe in haste,
Cuts off the snuffe,before the candle waste.
Lookes far in land,and can true titles sift,
Sounds deepest seas,and wades throw shallow foords,
And hates those heads,that with great finenes shift,
VVealth, praise and peace,are Iustice handmaids all,
Honor and fame,holds vp milde Iustice traine,
Truth on each side,supports hir from a fall:
And heaunly hope,in hart she doth retain:
Disdains delay,giues aid and helpe in haste,
Cuts off the snuffe,before the candle waste.
When sutes do hang,ten yeeres on tenter hookes,
They stretch too far,and so gro full of holes:
VVhen few words makegreat scrouls & mighty books
Ill newes is broughtto many silly soles.
VVhen cunning casts,a cloke on open wrong,
Right is put back,and knoes not where to go,
VVhen troth is lapt,in great dispute too long,
An vpright causemay get an ouerthro:
Light is seen streight,from darknes if we please,
And quarrels maybe ended soon with ease.
They stretch too far,and so gro full of holes:
VVhen few words makegreat scrouls & mighty books
Ill newes is broughtto many silly soles.
VVhen cunning casts,a cloke on open wrong,
Right is put back,and knoes not where to go,
VVhen troth is lapt,in great dispute too long,
An vpright causemay get an ouerthro:
Light is seen streight,from darknes if we please,
And quarrels maybe ended soon with ease.
Though Mine and Thine,makes many brabbles still,
In small short time,each man may haue his own,
Though thousands runto law on froward will,
Of each mans cause,the troth is quickly known,
Though doubts arise,in matters of great weight,
Good men may soon,decide a doubtfull cace,
But if weake things,like wax we stretch an height,
Or on bad stuffe,do clap an honest face:
A straw may seem,as strong to many a one,
As is a staffe,that lame men stay vpon.
In small short time,each man may haue his own,
Though thousands runto law on froward will,
Of each mans cause,the troth is quickly known,
Though doubts arise,in matters of great weight,
Good men may soon,decide a doubtfull cace,
But if weake things,like wax we stretch an height,
Or on bad stuffe,do clap an honest face:
A straw may seem,as strong to many a one,
As is a staffe,that lame men stay vpon.
Gay collors hides,a patched rotten wall,
Faire fained tales,conuaies foule things from sight,
Sweet suger takes,the taste from bitter gall,
VVrong richly clad,to blindnes seemeth right,
Troth troden downe,lifts falsehood vp aloft,
False dice do run,as smoothe as truest bones,
Fine filed toongs,deceiues plaine people oft,
Fondlings may take,pure glasse for preshous stones:
A trim discourse,set out for goodly shoes,
May quickly mar,the text with glorious gloes.
Faire fained tales,conuaies foule things from sight,
Sweet suger takes,the taste from bitter gall,
VVrong richly clad,to blindnes seemeth right,
Troth troden downe,lifts falsehood vp aloft,
False dice do run,as smoothe as truest bones,
Fine filed toongs,deceiues plaine people oft,
Fondlings may take,pure glasse for preshous stones:
A trim discourse,set out for goodly shoes,
May quickly mar,the text with glorious gloes.
Plaine words are brought,from plow & country plain,
To finde plaine deedes,a friend to plainnes cace,
In open court,then plainnes doth complain
Of wrong receiud,before true Iustice face,
The pleading there,begins, but hath no end,
A yeere or twaine,runs on with reasons great,
Both parties so,much time and wealth doth spend,
VVhiles lawyars talkat barr in cold and heat:
The matter oft,scarse woorth a lock of hey,
Begun of nought,doth breed an endlesse pley.
To finde plaine deedes,a friend to plainnes cace,
In open court,then plainnes doth complain
Of wrong receiud,before true Iustice face,
The pleading there,begins, but hath no end,
A yeere or twaine,runs on with reasons great,
Both parties so,much time and wealth doth spend,
VVhiles lawyars talkat barr in cold and heat:
The matter oft,scarse woorth a lock of hey,
Begun of nought,doth breed an endlesse pley.
VVhy bright brode dayat any hole is seen,
Darke night is known,when stars in skie do shoote,
Both black and whiteare quickly gest from green,
The head or handis easly found from foot,
The good and badas great a diffrence haue,
As chalke and cheese.Then is there no great doubt,
Tween right and wrong,small pleading do they craue,
For Iustice doom,soon finds their natures out:
So is the courtdismist of suters all,
And mildly sitsthe Iudges in the hall.
Darke night is known,when stars in skie do shoote,
Both black and whiteare quickly gest from green,
The head or handis easly found from foot,
The good and badas great a diffrence haue,
As chalke and cheese.Then is there no great doubt,
Tween right and wrong,small pleading do they craue,
For Iustice doom,soon finds their natures out:
So is the courtdismist of suters all,
And mildly sitsthe Iudges in the hall.
Long sutes are likea semstars clue of threed,
That first was longa spinning of the wheele,
Long twisting too,to make it serue the need,
Long winding vpon thrifty huswiues reele,
And ouer longa workingsome men say,
Yet as the lengthis long of this same clue,
So shall you findean end som kind of way,
To serue the turnein time and season due:
But sutes do leauethe sutars all so bare,
That halfe vndonworld thinks long suters are.
That first was longa spinning of the wheele,
Long twisting too,to make it serue the need,
Long winding vpon thrifty huswiues reele,
And ouer longa workingsome men say,
Yet as the lengthis long of this same clue,
So shall you findean end som kind of way,
To serue the turnein time and season due:
But sutes do leauethe sutars all so bare,
That halfe vndonworld thinks long suters are.
The honor ofthe law leaues long delaies,
A quick dispatchworks many men much good,
VVhen good turns areturnd off to yeers and daies,
They bring disease,and breedeth no good blood,
VVhat falls out wellis welcom at the furst,
VVhat hapneth illmust needs be known at last,
And when a manin time doth know the wurst,
The care is gon,and halfe the harms are past,
Admit that landsand goods do lie therein,
Looke what is lostwe haue no hope to win.
A quick dispatchworks many men much good,
VVhen good turns areturnd off to yeers and daies,
They bring disease,and breedeth no good blood,
VVhat falls out wellis welcom at the furst,
VVhat hapneth illmust needs be known at last,
And when a manin time doth know the wurst,
The care is gon,and halfe the harms are past,
Admit that landsand goods do lie therein,
Looke what is lostwe haue no hope to win.
Plainnes is best,and euer furthest goes,
Sleight finds a shift,to shuffell cards too long,
The shortest way,vnto the wood who knoes,
And goes about,shall do himselfe great wrong.
No honor more,than get good will of men,
VVith iudgement sweet,a true-loue knot to knit,
To further thatmy praier and my pen,
Shall wait vponthe seat wherein you sit:
And poore mens plaints,when salued is their sore,
Eternize shallyour name for euermore.
Sleight finds a shift,to shuffell cards too long,
The shortest way,vnto the wood who knoes,
And goes about,shall do himselfe great wrong.
No honor more,than get good will of men,
VVith iudgement sweet,a true-loue knot to knit,
To further thatmy praier and my pen,
Shall wait vponthe seat wherein you sit:
And poore mens plaints,when salued is their sore,
Eternize shallyour name for euermore.
FINIS.
| The Honor of the Lawe | |