University of Virginia Library

THE FIFTEEN MYSTERIES OF THE ROSARIE, OF OVR BLESSED LADY.

VVHEREOF The first fyue are ioyful. The second sorowful. And the third glorious.

The first ioyful mysterie.

Conteyning the Anuntiation of our blessed Lady.

When heau'ns rare loue resolued mannes release,
From thrall to him that first produced sin,
It was decreed that this redeeming peace,
Must by a God and by a man begin,
Then on Ambassage was an Angel sent,
vnto the best of all the best on earth,
VVith grace-ful greeting to declare th' intent,
Of Gods designe in such a sacred berth.
And euen as shee assented to the same,
Eft-soones in her conception did begin,
And blessednes gaue tytle to her name,
And ioy at her glad hart did enter in.

The second ioyful mysterie.

Conteyning our ladies visitation of S. Elizabeth.

Her change exchang'd not humblenesse for pryde,
That bore Gods Sonne and yet would go to see,
Her in whose wombe Gods seruant did resyde,
vaine pointes could not with her pure vertue bee.
And as her coosins eares receau'd her voyce,
One chyld by Simpathy the other moued,
VVhich outwardly both moothers made reioyce,
VVhose ioy each chyld by inward ioy approoued,
From virgins mouth the dittie then begun,
How much her soule did magnify her lord,
VVhich since inur'd help-seekers from her sonne
Therein her praise, in his praise to record.

The third ioyful mysterie.

Conteyning the birth of Christe.

At Ceasars hest to Bethlem shee repaires,
As duty wild, where duty had no claime,
No harbenger her loging there prepares,
Her poore estate fyndes harbor lyke the same.
But when as God in chyldheid would appere,
Odors and Angels brightnes it adorne,
And with deere loue, her louing babe so deere,
Shee doth adore assoone as it is borne.
High priuilege exempted her from wo,
VVhich but Gods mother none could els obtaine,
And heauenly bounty did on her bestow,
That shee a mayden euer should remaine.

The fourth ioyful mysterie.

Conteyning the presentation of Christe in the temple.

At tyme prefixt by ryte of auncient lore,
That now the moother must her babe present,
Thòugh not impure, but purer then before,
And purenesse bringing with her where shee went.
As warned then, through hyre of hope and faith,
Good Simeon comes, to see his wished sight,
VVhere as the Swan he singes before his death,
And in one ioy doth end all worlds delight.
And all the yeares old Anne deuoutly spent,
That with her age encreast her godly zeale,
Did now bring ioy vnto her hartes content,
And ioy to all where ioy shee did reueale.

The fift ioyful mysterie.

Conteyning our Ladies fynding of Christe in the temple.

Sequestred loue doth foster grief and ioy,
Twixt feare of losse and hope of happy gaine,
Such was her case that lost her litle Boy,
VVhose ioy reuyn'd in fynding him againe.
In Temple once buylt by the wysest king,
VVhere not til now the wise king took his place,
VVho yet no kingly porte did thether bring,
But wisdome vttred with a chyldish face.
VVith lyke in yeares shee haply might him seek,
But did him fynde with doctors in dispute,
He left repose to fraudlesse myndes and meek,
And took in hand wise folly to confute.

The first sorowful mysterie.

Conteyning the apprehension of Christe.

Wo woorth that sorow should succeed to ioy,
Or for the il the good sustaine the smart,
But since the sonne would suffer wronges annoy,
The mother beares her vndeserued parte.
For when as hee destrest in garden prayd,
And bloody sweat ran downe his face amayne,
And Iudas false him Iudasly betrayd,
Lost ioy her left, betrayed vnto payne.
And when with rage the Iewes led him away,
Then anguish her surprys'd and led in thrall,
And all that outwardly on him they lay,
Doth inwardly vnto her hart befall.

The second sorowful mysterie.

Conteyning the scourging of Christe.

T'apease the rage of causelesse raging Iewes,
false Pylate wild true Christe should scourged bee,
Cryme knew he none, and yet he did refuse,
vnpunished to set the guiltlesse free.
Then was sweet Iesus to a piller tyde,
And helhoundes lasht at his faire tender skin,
Embrude with blood al round on euery syde,
Thinck then how stood th' aquyter of our sin.
And in what sorrow his poore moother stood,
For his great good, their so great il to view,
Her hart bled inward, and distild the blood,
Foorth at her eyes, though altred in the hew.

The third sorowful mysterie.

Conteyning the crowning of Christ with a crowne of thorne.

For change of torture not for ease of grief,
The Iewes do from the piller Christe vnlose,
VVhyle his sad mothers hopes of his relief,
Encrease her sorow in his lengthned woes.
For they his dolour to deryde and scorne,
The king of kinges in mockage king do call,
And on his head they fix a crowne of thorne,
And in his hand a reed to rule withall.
Yeilding pure loue impure dispight and hate,
Accursed rebels to a king of grace,
That purchase now the due disgraceful state,
Of their stil kinglesse and contemptuous race.

The fourth sorowful mysterie.

Conteyning Christe his bearing of his Crosse.

When Pylat pressed by the Iewish rage,
VVith wrested conscyence gaue the doome of death,
The Iewes made ha'st their fury to aswage,
In the extinguishing lyf-giuers breath.
And his deaths engyne, burthen of his wo,
They make him beare, that him to beare they made,
Him in the way to death to tortur so,
Til they his fainting force, giue forced ayd.
VVel may his mother mourne this to obserue,
That from his burthen lodes her mynd with woes,
And he wel aske what withered stocks deserue?
VVhen fruteful trees are serued so of those.

The fyft sorowful mysterie.

Conteyning the crucifying of Christe.

Oh wo is mee at this great end of grief,
Christe is arryued at his dying place,
Lamblyke he standes, bereft of all relief,
Subiect of sorow, vassal of disgrace.
For on his crosse all naked they him nail,
And reare it vp, and wound him in the syde,
VVhich all the blest of heauen do bewayl,
VVhyle of the earth th' accursedst it deryde.
The swoord of sorow peirseth now the hart,
Of his lamenting mother in her dolour moste,
VVhose deere Sonnes sorrow, and surmounting smart,
Now takes an end, in yeilding of his ghoste.

The first glorious mysterie.

Conteyning the resurrection of Christe.

Svbdued sorrow glory now ensues,
For from the crosse the soule of Christ descending,
Bringes to expecting soules the cheereful newes,
Of heauens entrance, their detaynments ending.
And to his corps his ghoste return'd againe,
Triumphant raiseth it from closed toombe,
Terror vnto the actors of his paine,
VVhose hate, and death, and hel, is ouercome.
And glory that his sorowes now had chased,
Extinguisht wo in his kynde mothers hart,
And glory there and in all others placed,
That of his anguish had sustayned parte.

The second glorious mysterie.

Conteyning the ascention of Christe into heauen.

When forty dayes the day had ouerpast,
Of that new lyf that Christe from death had taken,
He did resolue his heauens returne at last,
To leaue the world that had him first forsaken.
And hauing to his mother now appeered,
And also vnto his apostles true.
Confirmd in faith, and in his glory cheered,
On Oliue mount he biddes them all adieu.
And there liftes vp himself to sacred blis,
Th' unworthy world no more him so retaynes,
And all the glory that in heauen is,
To him is yeilded and to him remaynes.

The third glorious mysterie.

Conteyning the coming downe of the holy Ghost.

Plac'd in his throne and glorious chaire of state,
Our louing Lord regardful of our weal,
VVould let no more then ten dayes run their date,
Ere he his keeping promis would reueal.
VVhat tyme his mother and disciples bent,
In secret wyse to inuocate his name,
Down vnto them his holy Ghost he sent,
VVith glorious fyre their hartes for to enflame,
And to conioyne to his Churche now begonne,
That spirit of truthe that euer must it guyde,
In only truthe, whyle shyneth any Sun,
Maugre the woorst, of daunted hellish pryde.

The fourth glorious mysterie.

Conteyning the assumption of our blessed Lady.

When hence to parte the virgin did obtayne,
The Hierarchies their due attendance gaue,
To bring her sin-lesse soule to endlesse raigne,
VVhyle saintes on earth brought her pure corps to graue.
VVhich therein laid, and found thence to be tane,
Makes pietie to faith to recomend,
That soone her soule to earth return'd againe,
And tooke her corps and did therewith ascend.
A due prerogatiue, and due alone,
Vnto that body that had borne a chyld,
As neuer did, nor neuer shal do none,
That neuer was with thought of sin defyld.

The fyft glorious mysterie.

Conteyning the coronation of our blessed Lady.

Assumpted so with soule and corps combyned,
As glorious as at last the blest shal-bee,
And placed in her princely seat asygned,
Lyke to her woorthy self appeered shee.
And that eternal euer three in one,
There crowned her the highest heauens Queene,
VVhere angels yeilded honor to her throne,
As seemly might to her estate bee seene.
And shee that earst replenisht was with grace,
Now plac'd where grace flowes out in plenties store,
VVhere as shee sees her sonnes most gratious face,
And sues for such as sue to her therefore.