University of Virginia Library

[61] The Prodigall

Disrob'd by Sinne, expos'd to the cold aire,
Of dire dispaire,
I sighe I grone:
Famish'd for want of heav'nly sustenance,
My spirit faints,
And is nigh gone.
My time, my prime, and patrimonye I,
Have made to flye,
In forraine lands:
Lands farre remote from new Jerusalem,
Or Bethleem,
On cursed bands
Of Ruffians, Baudes, and whores: These Ruffians dire,
Were wrath, and ire,
These baudes, and whores,
Were Riote, Pride, Concupiscence, and Lust,
And these have thrust
Mee, out at doores:
Nothing but Want, and Shame, is left behind:
No hope I find,
To ease my mind:
How I desir'd to feede on those coarse huskes,
Which t'wixt their tuskes,
The swine did grinde:
But none vouchsaf'd to give, or let mee taste
Of this repast,
'Cause I had bin
Both to my God, and to my self unkind,
And had declin'd,
To extreme sinne.
Then g'an I of my Fathers House to thinke,
Where meate, and drinke,
Did much abound:
His hired servants I to mind did call,
Replenish'd all,
With diet sound:
Then did I say, I will arise, and goe
My Father to,
And thus make mone:
'Gains't Heaven, and before Thee, I have transgrest,
And merite least,
The name of sonne:
Account mee but among Thy servants hir'd;
This I desir'd,
And forward pass'd.
But when my Father mee farre of descry'd,
Himself Hee ply'd,
And made great haste:
On mee (poore soule) Hee sweet compassion had,
As one full glad,
My necke Hee prest
With his embraces deare, and kiss'd my cheeke,
With love full meeke,
While I confest
My sinne: then Hee for the best robe did call,
And therewithall,
Did mee invest:
A ring upon my hand Hee did impose,
And with new shoes,
My feet Hee drest:
Hee caus'd them to prepare the fatted calfe,
In my behalfe,
And sayd, let's feede,
Rejoyce, and merry bee, for this my Sonne,
Who was undone,
And given for dead.
Is now alive./ Thus my Indulgent sire,
With love entire,
Tooke mee ag'en.
And Heaven alone, those inward joyes can shew,
In figures true,
Which I felt then./