The Complete Works of Sir Philip Sidney :: :: University of Virginia Library

They soone shalbe cutt down like grasse;
And wither like greene hearb or flower:
Do well, and trust on heav'nly power,
Thou shalt have both good food and place.

Delight in God, and he shall breede
The fullnesse of thy own hartes lusting:
Guide thee by him, lay all thy trusting
On hym, and he will make it speed.

For like the light he shall display
Thy Justice, in most shining lustre:
And of thy judgment make a mustre
Like to the glory of noone day.

235

Waite on the Lord with patient hope;
Chafe not at some manns greate good fortune:
Though all his plotts without misfortune,
Attaine unto their wished scope.

Fume not, rage not, frett not I say;
Least such thinges synne in thy self cherish:
For those bad folks, at last shall perish:
Who stay for Godd, in blisse shall stay.

Watch but a while, and thou shalt see
The wicked by his own pride banisht:
Looke after him, he shalbe vanisht,
And never found againe shalbe.

But meeke men shall the earth possesse;
In quiett home they shalbe planted:
And this delight to them is granted,
They shall have peace in plenteousnesse.

Evill men, work ill to uttmost right,
Gnashing their teeth full of disdayning:
But God shall scorne, their moody meaning
For their short time is in his sight.

The evill bent bowes, and swordes they drew,
To have their hate on good soules wroken:
But lo, their bowes they shalbe broken,
Their swordes, shall their own hartes embrew.

Small goodes in good men better is,
Then of bad folkes the wealthy wonder:
For wicked armes shall breake asunder,
But God upholdes the just in blisse.

God keepes accompt of good menns daies,
Their heritage shall last for ever:
In perill they shall perish never,
Nor want in dearth, their want to ease.

Badd folkes shall fall, and fall for ay:
Who to make warre, with God presumed,
Like fatt of lambes shalbe consumed:
Ev'n with the smoake shall wast away.

236

The naughty borrowes, payeng not;
The good is kind, and freely giveth.
Loe, whom God blest, hee blessed liveth:
Whom he doth curse, to naught shall rott.

The mann whom God directs, doth stand
Firme on his way, his way God loveth:
Though he doth fall no wrack he proveth:
He is upheld by heav'nly hand.

I have beene yong now old I am,
Yet I the man that was betaken
To Justice, never saw forsaken:
Nor that his seede a begging came.

He lendes, he gives, more he doth spend,
The more his seede in blessing flourish:
Then fly all ill, and goodnes nourish,
And thy good state, shall never end.

God loving right doth not forsake
His holy ones; they are preserved
From tyme to tyme, but who be swarved
To ill, both they and theirs shall wrack.

I say, I say the righteous mindes
Shall have the land in their possessing,
Shall dwell thereon, and this their blessing
No time within his limitts bindes.

The good mouth will in wisdome bide,
His tongue of heav'nly Judgments telleth:
For Gods high law in his hart dwelleth,
What coms thereof? he shall not slide.

The wicked watch the righteous much,
And seeke of life for to bereave him:
But in their hand God will not leave him,
Nor lett him be condempn'd by such.

Waite thou on God, and keepe his way,
He will exalt thee unto honor:
And of the earth make thee an owner,
Yea thou shalt see the evill decay.

237

I have the wicked seene full sound,
Like lawrell fresh him self out-spreading:
Lo hee was gon, print of his treading,
Though I did seeke, I never found.

Marke the upright, the just attend:
His ende shalbe in peace enjoyed:
But straiers vile, shalbe destroied,
And quite cutt of with helplesse end.

Still, still the godly shalbe staid
By Gods most sure, and sweete salvation:
In time of greatest tribulation
He shalbe their true strength and aid.

He shalbe their true strength and aid,
He shall save them from all the fetches
Against them us'd, by wicked wretches:
Because on him their trust is laid.