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[The Courte of Vertu

contaynynge many holy songes, Sonettes, psalmes and ballettes] [by John Hall]
Hall, John

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The Prologue.
 
The prayse of vertue.
 
The prayse of faithe.
 
The prayse of hope, out of many places of scripture.
 
The prayse of Godly loue or charitie
 
The prayse of Godly wysdome
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The nynth chapiter of Ecclesiasticus: or booke of Iesus the sonne of Sirach.
 
The maner of true and perfecte prayer instituted by our sauiour Iesus Christe, the only sonne of God, the wisdom of the father, and seconde person in trinitie.
 
The abridgement of our Christen beleefe, written as some suppose into .xii. Articles, by the .xii. holy apostels of our sauiour Iesus Chryste.
 
The songe of prayse and thankesgeuinge of blessed Mary the vyrgyn, mother of our lorde and sauiour Iesus Chryst, after the salutation of the Angell Gabriell, and of Elizabeth mother of blessed Iohn baptist.
 
The songe of prayse and thankes geuinge of holy Zachary, father of Saynct Iohn baptist, beinge restored to his speche, whiche was taken from him at the vision of the angell,
 
The songe of prayse and thankes geuyng of holy Simeon at the Circumcisyon of our Lorde Iesu Chryste.
 
The x. commaundementes of almighty God written, in ij. tables of stone with ye finger of God. The first table conteyning iiij preceptes concerneth our duety towardes God: The second table conteyning the other vj. preceptes concerneth our duetye towardes our neyghbour.
 
The prayse of God the father sonne and holye ghost.
 
To his friend E. H.
 
Numeri .xiii.
 
ii. Esdras. i.
 
Tobias .xiii.
 
Tobias .iii.
 
Iudith .16.
 
Iob .i.
 
Prouerb .xxx.
 
Ecclesiasticus .xxiii.
 
The songe of Esechia,
 
Ieremie .ix.
 
Ieremie .17.
 
Ieremie .xxxi.
 
Out of the thirde chapiter of Ieremies lamentations.
 
Oseas .xiiii.
 
Ionas. Cap. ii.
 
A consideration of the vnryghteousnes of the vayne & miserable world.
 
A ditie of lamentation against the dissemblyng and hipocriticall false dealynge, vsed of moste folke in these dayes:
 
A ditie named blame not my lute
 
A song of the lute in the prayse of God, and disprayse of Idolatrie.
 
A ditie shewyng the office of all estates:
 
A Ditie declaringe the daungerous abuse of all degrees, whyche go astraye from theyr vocation.
 
A voyce from heauen to you shall come,
 
Against pryde.
 
An inuectue against the most hatefull vyce enuy.
 
Agaynst slouthe.
 
A description of auarice.
 
A dittie of the pen inueiyng against vsury and false dealyng.
 
An exhortation to wrathfull men.
 
An Inuectiue agaynst wrathe
 
Against drunkennes and gluttony.
 
Lecherie rebuked.
 
An earnest complaint agaynste Idolatry.
 
An inuectiue against sclanderous tongues.
 
A complaint against euel tunges
 
A ditie made in the tyme of the the sweatyng plague.
 
That vertue excelleth both ryches and beautie.
 
A godly warnynge to put all men in remembrance of theyr myserable estate, and that they are subiecte to death and corruption.
 
The faithfull souldiour of Christe, desireth assistance of God against his ghostly enemies.
 
An exhortacion to brotherly loue and vnitie.
 
The iust and true mā complaineth, that flattery and falshod is more regarded then truthe, and reioyseth that he is hated for the truthe.
 
An holsome warning for all men that beare the name of Christians, to lyue Christianly.
 
A short song exhorting all men to abstayne from the vse of false weyghtes and measures.
 
A Ditie declarynge the stedfast hope and trust that the faythfull afflicted soule hath in Christ Iesu.
 
A song shewing that no commoditie is without a discommoditie.
 
The iust innocent complayneth on sclanderous tongues.
 
The innocent sclaundered complaineth praying for the conuertion of his enemies.
 
The complaint of Christ our sauiour agaynst the Ingratitude of mankynde.
 
A Ditie warnyng all townes and liberties to chose theyr gouernours for vertue wysedom and lernyng: and by all meanes laudable, to kepe from rule the proude enuious and wylfull wycked men:
 
A briefe description of wysedom and folly in gouernance.
 
A briefe Description of truthe and falsehode.
 
An exhortation to truthe, fayth and vertue.
 
A description of mans lyfe both in his owne affections and vertues.
 
A frendly aduertisement.
 
That selfe loue and auarice, weare neuer true friendes.
 
A description of frendship.
 
An opening of the rude peoples inconstancie.
 
That flattery and sclaunder are of all wyse men to be taken hede of.
 
That a cōstant mynde is a great pyller of bodily health.
 
A commendacion of vertuous exercise.
 
Against vndecēt busy medlers in other mens vocation neglecting their owne.
 
Of fortune.
 
Or thus out of Iustinus.
 
Of honor out of Tully.
 
Of glory.
 
Of vain glory.
 
Or thus.
 
Of grace out of S. Bernarde.
 
Of temperance out of Plutarche.
 
Of tale bearers out of saynt Hierome.
 
Of virginitie.
 
Of Arrogancie in studentes.
 
Of reuerence to age.
 
Of truth and falshode.
 
Of Inhumanitie.
 
Of constant temperance.
 
Of truth and lying.
 
Of the errors of the common rude multitude.
 
Agaynst vayne apparell,
 
Agaynst anger
 
Of frendes,
 
Dulce bellum inexpertis.
 
That the riche and myghtie should not hate the poore and lowly.
 
Of formed fyllets and disformed forheds.
 
Sentences of the wyse
 
A description of dignitie or true Noblenesse.
 
The anotomy or particular description of a byrchē broome or besome:
 
The description & declaration of a monstrous chyld,
 
An exhortation to al preachers of the Gospell, that they ought to preache as well in workes as with wordes: if they wyll preache profitably, namely to the conuertiō of soules to the truthe.
 
Against ye dissimulacion, craft, vnconstācie, false dealing, gredy couetousnes, vntemperate eatynge and drynkyng, and incontinencie of an old man,
 
A song against the sinful time wherin all thynges are out of order, and synne groweth nere vnto rypnes.
 
A maruaylous dreame of the Author:
 
A Poesis in forme of a Uisyon,
 
A Ditie declaryng the risyng and setting of the .xii. sygnes of the zodiake:
 
A Ditie made to the prayse of God, by the Author,
 
An other Ditie to the same purpose and vse.
 
A ditie to be sung of musiciens in the mornyng,
 
A ditie to be sung at nyght when men go to bed.
 
A ditie to be sung at dyner tyme and meales.
 
An other to the same purpose.
 
An other grace.
 
A sonnet inueyinge agaynst the abuses and pryde that reygneth among vayne women.
 
The complaynte of a certayne famous town for the death of an honest matron, wyfe to one of thinhabitantes of the same
 
An exhortacion for vertuous men to perciste in vertue and to prayse Christ the authour of vertue, to whom be all honour and glory. Amē.

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A description of dignitie or true Noblenesse.

If thou a noble man wylt knowe,
A great estate and honorable,
He is (as Chrysostome doth showe)
To vices nothyng seruisable:
But dothe detest and muche disdayne,
Subiect to be, to vyces vayne.
If thou (as Seneca doth tell)
A man wylt in sure wyse esteme,
Or knowe hym perfectly and well,
What he is, and so truely deme:
Thou must hym see in fashion rare,
That is to say naked and bare.
Possessions let hym laye asyde,
And put from hym authoritie:
And let nothyng wyth hym abyde,
But natures gyft and propretie:
All fortunes fables in lykewyse
Thou must in this thy serche despyse.
In fyne and last of all the rest,
Let hym put of hys owne body:
And then behold wythin his brest
His soule, and vewe it certaynly:
For so shall it be truely knowne.
What he hath of his very owne.
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For it in me deserues no prayse,
That I of others do receiue,
For looke what nature me denayes,
I can not haue, but doo deceiue,
As wyth a false and fayned synne,
Bragging with that which is not mine.
He that can vices ouercome,
Is then the chiefest conquerour.
He that wyth vertue beareth roome,
He is a man of great honour.
He is noble and of great myght,
That shunnyng wrong imbraceth ryght.
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