The Hymnes and Songs of the Chvrch Diuided into two parts. The first part comprehends the Canonicall Hymnes, and such parcels of Holy Scripture, as may properly be sung, with some other ancient Songs and Creeds. The second part consists of Spirituall Songs, appropriated to the seuerall Times and Occasions obserueable in the Church of England. Translated and Composed by G. VV. [i.e. George Wither] |
| I. |
| III. |
| V. |
| VI. |
 |
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| XXXVII. |
| XXXVIII. |
| XXXIX. |
| XL. |
| XLI. |
| XLII. |
| XLIII. |
| XLIIII. |
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 | The Hymnes and Songs of the Chvrch |  |
1
THE FIRST PART OF The HYMNES and SONGS of the CHVRCH, containing those which are Translated out of the Canonicall Scripture; Together with such other Hymnes, and Creeds, as haue anciently beene sung in the Church of ENGLAND.
2
Song I. The first Song of Moses. Exod. 15.
[1]
Now shall the praises of the LORD be sung:For, hee a most renowned Triumph wonne:
3
And them together there hath ouerthrowne.
The LORD is He, whose strength doth make me strong;
And hee is my Saluation and my Song.
4
My Fathers GOD, whose praise I will declare.
2
Well knowes the LORD to war what doth pertaine;The LORD Almightie is his glorious Name:
He Pharaohs Charrets, and his armed Traine,
Amid the Sea o'rewhelming, ouercame:
Those of his Armie that were most renoun'd,
Hee hath together in the Red-sea drown'd;
The Deepes, a couering ouer them were throwne,
And, to the bottome sunke they, like a stone.
3
LORD, by thy powre thy Right-hand famous growes:Thy Right-hand, LORD, thy Foe destroyed hath:
Thy Glory thy Opposers ouerthrowes;
And, stubble-like, consumes them in thy wrath.
A blast but from thy nostrils forth did goe,
And vp together did the waters flow;
5
Amid the Sea, as if congealed, stood.
4
I will pursue them (their Pursuer cri'd)I will o'retake them, and the spoile enioy:
My lust vpon them shall be satisfi'd:
With Sword vnsheath'd my hand shall them destroy.
Then from thy breath a gale of winde was sent:
The billowes of the Sea quite o're them went:
And they the mightie waters sunke into,
Eu'n as a weightie peece of Lead will doe.
5
LORD, who like thee among the GODS is there:In holinesse so glorious who may bee!
VVhose praises so exceeding dreadfull are!
In doing wonders who, can equall thee!
Thy glorious Right-hand thou on high didst reare,
And in the earth they quickly swallow'd were:
But thou, in mercie, on-ward hast conuai'd
Thy People, whose redemption thou hast paid.
6
Them, by thy strength, thou hast bin pleas'd to beareVnto a holy Dwelling place of thine:
The Nations at report thereof shall feare;
And grieue shall they that dwell in Palestine,
On Edoms Princes shall amazement fall:
The mightie men of Moab tremble shall:
And, such as in the land of Cana'n dwell,
Shall pine away, of this when they heare tell.
7
They shall bee ceazed with a horrid feare:Stone-quiet thy Right hand shall make them be,
6
(Till those passe ouer, that were bought by thee.)
For, thou shalt make them to thy Hill repaire,
And plant them there (oh Lord) where thou art heire;
Eu'n there, where thou thy Dwelling hast prepar'd;
That Holy place, which thine owne hands haue rear'd.
8
The LORD shall euer, and for euer raigne:(His Soueraignty shall neuer haue an end)
For, when as Pharoh did into the Maine
VVith Charrets, and with horsemen downe descend,
The Lord did backe againe the Sea recall,
And with those waters ouerwhelm'd them all:
But, through the verie inmost of the same,
The Seed of Israel safe and drie-shod came.
12
SONG. III. The Song of Deborah and Barak. Iudg. 5.
[1]
Sing praises Isr'el to the LORD,that thee auenged so;
When to the fight with free accord
the people forth did goe.
13
you Princes heare,
while to the LORD I raise
My voyce aloud,
and sing to GOD,
(the LORD of Isr'el) praise.
14
2
When thou departedst, LORD, from Seir;When thou leftst Edom field,
Earth shooke, the heauens dropped there,
The Cloudes did water yeeld.
LORD, at thy sight
A trembling fright
Vpon the Mountaines fell:
Eu'n at thy looke,
Mount Sinai shooke,
LORD God of Israel.
3
Not long agoe, in Shamghar's dayes,Old Anath's valiant Sonne;
And late, in Iael's time, the wayes
Frequented were of none:
The passengers
Were wanderers,
In crooked pathes vnknowne;
And none durst dwell,
Through Israel,
But in a walled Towne.
4
Vntill I Deborah arose,(Who rose a Mother there)
In Isr'el, when new GODS they chose,
That fild their gates with warre.
And they had there
Nor shield nor Speare
In their possession, then;
To arme (for fight)
One Israelite
15
5
To those that Isrel's Captaines are,My heart doth much encline;
To those, I meane, that willing were:
O LORD the praise be thine.
Sing ye, for this,
Whose vse it is
To ride on Asses gray;
All ye, that yet
In Middin sit,
Or trauell by the way.
6
The place where they their water drew,From Archers now is cleare.
The LORDS vprightnes they shall shew,
And his iust dealing there.
The Hamlets all,
Through Isr'el shall
His righteousnesse record:
And downe vnto
The Gates shall goe
The people of the LORD.
7
Arise oh Deborah, arise:Rise, rise, and sing a Song.
Abinoam's sonne, oh Barak rise:
Thy Captiues lead along.
Their Princes all,
By him made thrall
To the Suruiuor bee.
To triumph on
16
The LORD vouchsafed mee.
8
A roote from out of Ephraim,Gainst Amaleck arose:
And (of the people) next to him,
The Beniamits were those.
From Machir (where
Good Leaders are)
Came well experienc't men:
And they came downe
From Zabulon,
That handle well the Pen.
6
Along with Deborah did goeThe Lords of Isachar;
With Isachar, eu'n Barak too,
Was one among them there.
Hee forth was sent,
And marching went
On foot the Lower-way.
For Ruben (where
Diuisions were)
Right thoughtfull-hearts had they.
10
The bleating of the flockes to heare,Oh wherefore didst thou stay?
For Ruben (where diuisions were)
Right thought-full hearts had they.
But, why did they,
Of Gilead stay
On Iordans other side?
17
Didst thou, oh Dan,
Within thy Tents abide?
11
Among his harbours lurking byThe Sea-side Ashur lay.
But Zebulon, and Nephthali
Kept not themselues away.
They people are,
Who fearlesse dare
Their liues to death expose;
And did not yeelde
The hilly-field,
Though Kings did them oppose.
12
With them the Cananitish KingsAt Tanac'h fought that day,
Close by Megiddo's water-springs;
Yet bore no Prize away.
For, lo, the Starres
Fought in their spheres:
Gainst Sisera fought they.
And some (by force)
The water-course
Of Kishon, swept away.
13
Eu'n Kishon Riuer, which was longA famous Torrent knowne.
Oh thou my soule! oh thou, the strong,
Hast brauely troden downe.
Their Horse (whose pase
So lofty was)
18
Those of the Strong,
That kickt and flung,
And fiercely beat the ground.
14
A heauy curse on Meroz lay:Curst bee her dwellers all.
The Angell of the LORD doth say
That Citie curse you shall.
And therefore this
Accursing is;
They came not to the sight.
To helpe the LORD,
(To helpe the LORD)
Against the Men of might.
15
But blest bee Iael, Heber's SpouseThe Kenite; blest be shee.
More then all women are, of those
That vse in Tents to bee.
To him did shee
Giue milke, when hee
Did water onely wish;
And butter set
For him to eate,
Vpon a Lordly dish.
16
She in her Left hand tooke a Naile,And rais'd vp in the Right
A workemans Hammer, where-withall
She Sisera did smite.
His head shee tooke,
19
His pierced Temples through.
Hee fell withall:
And in the fall,
Hee at her feet did bow.
17
Hee at her feet did bow his head;Fell downe, and life forsooke.
Meane-while his longing Mother did,
From out her window looke:
Thus, crying at
The Lattice grate,
Why staies his Chariot so
From hasting home?
Oh! wherefore come
His Chariot wheeles so slow?
18
As thus she spake, her Ladies-wiseTo her an answer gaue:
Yea, to her selfe, her selfe replies;
Sure, sped (saith she) they haue:
And all this while,
They part the spoyle;
A Damsell one, or twaie,
Each homeward beares,
And Sisera shares
A partie-coulor'd pray.
19
Of Needle-worke, both sides of itIn diuers colours are;
And such it is, as doth befit
the Spoylers necke to weare.
20
Thy foes o're-throw:
But, who in thee delight,
Oh! let them be
Sun-like, when hee
Ascendeth in his might.
24
SONG. V. The Lamentation of Dauid ouer Saul, and Ionathan his sonne 2. Sam. 1., 17.
[1]
Thy beauty Israel is gone;slaine on the Places-high is hee:
The Mightie now are ouerthrowne.
Oh, thus how commeth it to bee!
Let not this newes their streets throughout,
In Gath, or Askalon, be told
For feare Philistia's daughters flout:
Lest vaunt th'vncircumcized should.
2
On you hereafter, let no dewe25
Let there be neither showers on you,
Nor Fields, that breede an Offring shall.
For there, with shame, away was throwne
The Target of the Strong (alas)
The Shield of Saul; eu'n as of One,
That ne're with Oyle annointed was.
3
Nor from their blood that slaughter'd lay,Nor from the fat of strong-men slaine,
Came Ionathan his Bow away,
Nor drew forth Saul his Sword in vaine.
In life-time, they were louely faire;
In death they vndiuided are.
More swift then Eagles of the ayre,
And stronger they, then Lyons were.
4
Weeepe Israels Daughters, weepe for Saul,Who you with Skarlet hath arai'd;
VVho cloathed you with Pleasures all,
And on your Garments, Gold hath laid.
How comes it, hee that mightie was,
The foyle in battaile doth sustaine!
Thou Ionathan, oh thou (alas)
Vpon thy Places-high, wert slaine.
5
And much distressed is my heart,My Brother Ionathan, for thee:
My verie Deare-delight thou wert,
And wondrous was thy Ioue to mee.
So wondrous, it surpassed farre
The loue of Women (eu'ry way)
26
How warlike Instruments decay!
SONG VI. Dauids Thanksgiuing. 1. Chro. 29. 10.
[1]
Oh LORD, our euerlasting GOD,Blisse, Greatnesse, Power and Praise is thine:
With thee haue Conquests their abode,
And glorious Maiestie Diuine.
All things that Earth and Heau'n afford,
Thou at thine owne disposing hast.
To thee belongs the Kingdome, LORD,
And thou, for Head, o're all art plac't.
2
Thou wealth and honour do'st command;27
Both Strength & Pow're are in thine hand,
To bee dispos'd as pleaseth thee.
And now, to thee our GOD therefore,
A Song of Thankefulnesse wee frame;
(That what wee owe, wee may restore)
And glorifie thy glorious Name.
3
But what, or who are wee (alas)That wee in giuing are so free!
Thine owne before, our Offring was,
And all wee haue, wee haue from thee.
For, wee are Guests and Strangers here,
As were our Fathers in thy sight:
Our daies but shaddow-like appeare,
And suddenly they take their flight.
4
This Offring, LORD our GOD, which thusWee for thy Names-sake, haue bestowne,
Deriued was from thee, to vs;
And that wee giue, is all thine owne.
O GOD, thou prou'st the heart, wee knowe,
And do'st affect vprightnesse there:
With gladnesse, therefore, wee bestow
What wee haue freely offer'd here.
5
Still thus (Oh LORD our GOD) enclineTheir meanings, who thy People bee.
And euer let the hearts of thine
Be thus prepared vnto thee.
Yea, giue vs perfect hearts, wee pray,
That wee thy Precepts erre not from:
28
An honour to thy Name become.
34
THE SONG OF SONGS.
SONG IX. The first Canticle.
[Come kisse mee with those lips of thine]
[1]
Come kisse mee with those lips of thine;For, better are thy Loues then wine:
And as the powred Oyntments bee;
Such is the fauour of thy Name:
And for the sweetnesse of the same,
35
2
Begin but Thou to draw me on,And then wee after Thee will runne:
Oh, King, thy Chambers bring me to;
So, wee in thee delight shall finde,
And more then wine thy loue will minde;
And loue thee, as the Righteous doe.
3
And Daughters of Ierusalem,I pray you, doe not mee contemne,
Because that blacke I now appeare:
For, I as louely am (I know)
As Kedar Tents (appeare in showe)
Or Salomon his Curtaines are.
4
Though blacke I am, regard it not:It is but Sun-burne I haue got;
Whereof my Mothers Sons were cause:
Their Vineyard-keeper me they made.
(Through enuy which to me they had)
So, mine owne Vine, neglected was.
5
Thou, whom my soule doth best affect,36
Where thou at Noone, art stretcht along.
For, why should I be stragling spide,
Like her that loues to turne aside,
Thy fellow-shepheards flocks among!
6
Oh, fairest of all Womankinde!(If him thou know not where to finde)
Goe, where the paths of Castell are:
Their Tract of foot-steps stray not from,
Till to the Shepherds Tents thou come;
And feede thy tender Kidlings there.
7
My Loue, thou art of greater force,Then Pharaoh's troups of Charret-horse.
Thy cheekes, and necke made louely bee
With rowes of stone, and many a chaine:
And, wee gold borders will ordaine,
Beset with siluer studs, for thee.
37
SONG X. The second Canticle. While that the King was at repast
[1]
While that the King was at repast,My Spicknard his perfumings cast;
And twixt my breasts repos'd my Deere:
My Loue, who is as sweet to mee,
As Myrrhe, or Camphire bundles bee,
Which at Engaddi Vineyards are.
2
Loe, thou art faire; loe, thou my Loue,Art faire, and eyed like the Doue:
Thou faire, and pleasant art my Deare:
And loe, our bed with flowers is strow'd:
Our House is beam'd with Cædar wood;
And of the Firre our Rafters are.
3
I am the Rose that Sharon yeelds,The Rose and Lilly of the Fields,
And flower of all the Dales below.
My Loue among the Daughters showes,
As when a sweet and beauteous Rose
Amid her bush of thornes doth grow.
4
Among the Sonnes, such is my Deare,As doth an Apple-tree appeare,
Within a shrubbie Forrest plac't.
38
(Whereto a great desire I had)
And sweet his fruit was to my tast.
5
Mee to his Banquet-house he bare,Eu'n where his wine prouisions are,
And there, his Loue my banner was.
With Flaggons, mee from fainting stay;
With Apples comfort me, I pray;
For, I am sicke of Loue (alas)
6
My head with his left-hand he staid:His right-hand ouer mee he laid;
And by the Harts and Roes (said Hee)
You Daughters of Ierusalem,
Stirre not (for you I charge by them)
Nor, wake my Loue, till pleas'd she be.
39
SONG XI. The third Canticle. I heare my Loue, and him I see
[1]
I heare my Loue, and him I seeCome leaping by the Mountains there:
Loe, o're the Hillocks trippeth Hee;
And Roe, or Stag-like doth appeare.
Loe, from behind the wall he pries:
Now, at the window grate is hee:
Now speakes my Deare, and saies, Arise,
My Loue, my Faire, and come with mee.
2
Loe, Winters past, and comne the Spring,The Raine is gone, the Weather cleare:
The Season woes the Birds to sing,
And on the Earth the flowers appeare.
The Turtle croweth in our Field:
Young Figs the Fig-tree down doth weigh,
The blossom'd Vines a sauour yeeld;
Rise Loue, my Faire, and come away.
3
My Doue, that art obscured, whereThe Rockes darke staires doe thee infold:
Thy voyce, (thy sweet voice) let me hear,
And Thee, (that louely sight) behold.
40
Goe take vs whilst the Grapes be young:
My Loues am I, and mine's my Deare,
Who feeds the Lilly-flowers among.
4
While breake of Day, when shades depart,Returne my Well-beloued-One;
Eu'n as a Roe, or lusty Hart,
That doth on Bether Mountaines runne,
For him, that to my soule is deare,
Within my bed, by night I sought;
I sought, but him I found not there:
Thus therfore with my selfe I thought;
5
I'le rise, and round the Cittie wend,Through Lanes, and open waies I'le goe,
That I my Soules-delight may finde:
So, there I sought, and mist him too.
The Cittie watch me lighted on;
Then askt I for my soules delight:
And somewhat past them being gone,
My soules-beloued found I straight.
6
Whom, there in my embrace I caught;And him forsooke I not, till hee
Into my Mothers house I brought;
Her Chamber who conceiued mee.
You Daughters of Ierusalem,
Stirre not (by field bred Harts and Roes;
For you I doe adiure by them)
Nor wake my Loue till shee dispose.
41
SONG XII. The fourth Canticle. What hee, that from the Desert there
[1]
What hee, that from the Desert thereDoth like those smoakie pillars come,
Which from the Incense and the Mirrhe,
And all the Merchant spices fume?
His Bed (which, loe, is Salomons)
Threescore stout men about it stand:
They are of Israel's valiant-Ones;
And all of them with Swords in hand.
2
All those are men expert in fight;And each one on his thigh doth weare
42
May bee forbid, from comming there.
King Salomon, a goodly place,
With trees of Libanon did reare:
Each piller of it Siluer was;
And gold the bases of them were.
3
With purple couer'd he the same;And all the pauement (thoroughout)
Oh Daughters of Ierusalem,
For you, with charitie is wrought.
Come Syon Daughters, come away,
And crowned with his Diadem
King Salomon behold yee may:
That Crowne his Mother set on him,
When he a married man was made,
And at the heart contentment had.
43
SONG XIII. The fift Canticle. Oh my Loue, how comely now
[1]
Oh my Loue, how comely now,and how beautifull art thou
Thou of Doue-like Eies a paire,
Shining hast within thy haire:
And thy Lockes like Kidlings bee,
44
2
Like those Ewes thy Teeth doe show,Which in rowes from washing goe;
When among them there is none
Twinlesse, nor a barren one.
And thy Lips are of a red;
Like the Rosie-colour'd thread.
3
Speech becomming thee thou hast.Vnderneath thy Tresses plac't
Are thy Temples (matchlesse faire)
Which (o'reshadow'd with thy haire)
Like Pomegranats doe appeare,
When they cut asunder are.
4
To that Fort thy Neck's compar'd,Which with Bulwarkes Dauid rear'd;
Where a thousand shields are hung,
All the Targets of the Strong.
Breasts thou hast like twinned Roes,
Feeding where the Lilly growes.
5
While day-breake, and shades are gone,To the Mountains I will runne:
To that hill whence Mirrhe doth come,
45
Thou my Loue all beautie art,
Spotlesse-faire in eu'ry part.
6
Come my Spouse from Libanum,Come with mee from Libanum.
From Amana turne thy sight,
Shenir's top, and Hermons height;
From the dennes of Lyons fell,
And the hills where Leopards dwell.
7
Thou, my Sister, thou art shee,Of my heart that robbeth mee;
Thou, my Spouse, oh thou art shee,
Of my heart that robbeth me,
With one of thine eies aspect,
And with one locke of thy necke.
8
Sister, and espoused-Peere,Those thy Breasts how farre they are!
Better be those Dugs of thine,
Then the most delitious wine:
And thine Oyntments odours are,
Sweeter then all Spices farre.
9
Loue, thy Lips drop sweetnesse so,As the Combs of Hony doe.
Thou hast vnderneath thy Tongue
Hony mixt with Milke among.
And thy Robes doe sent as well,
As the Frankincense doth smell.
46
10
Thou, my Sister, and espous'd,Art a Garden, fast inclos'd;
Walled-Spring, a Fountaine seal'd;
And the Plants thy Orchyard yeeld
Are of the Pomgranate-tree,
With those fruits that pleasant bee.
11
Camphire there with Nard doth grow,Nard, commixt with Crocus too,
Calamus, and Cinamon,
with all trees of Libanum;
Sweetest Aloes and Myrrhe,
And all Spice that precious are.
12
All the Gardens eu'ry where,Take their first beginning there.
There the precious Fountaine lies,
Whence all liuing waters rise:
Euen all those Streames that come,
Running downe from Libanum.
45
SONG. XIIII. The sixt Canticle. Arise thou North-winde from the North
[1]
Arise thou North-winde from the North,And from the South, thou South-winde blow:
Vpon my Garden breath yee forth,
That so my Spices (there that grow,)
46
And to thy Garden come my Deare,
To eate thy fruits of pleasure there.
2
My Sister, and espoused Peere,Vnto my Garden I am come:
My Spice I gather'd with my Myrrhe:
I ate my Hony in the Combe,
And drunk my wine with milke among.
Come Friends, and Best-belou'd of mee,
Come eate, and drinke, and merry bee
47
3
I slept, but yet my heart did wakeIt is my Loue I knocking heare:
It was his Voyce, and thus he spake;
Come open vnto mee, my Deare,
My Loue, my Doue, my Spotlesse-Peere:
For, with the deaw my head is dight;
My Locks with droppings of the night.
4
Loe, I haue now vndressed mee:Why should I cloath me, as before?
And since my feet cleane washed be,
Why should I soyle them anymore?
Then, through the Crevice of the doore
Appear'd the Hand of my Belou'd;
And towards him my heart was mou'd.
5
I rose vnto my Loue to ope,And from my Hands distilled Myrrhe;
Pure Myrrhe did from my fingers drop
Vpon the handles of the Barre.
But, then departed was my Deare.
When by his Voyce I knew 'twas he,
My heart was like to faint in mee.
6
I sought; but seene he could not be:I call'd; but heard no answer sound.
The Citie-Watchmen met with me,
As they were walking of the Round,
And gaue me stripes that made a wound:
Yea, they that watch & ward the Wall,
Eu'n they haue tooke away my veyle.
48
SONG XV. The seuenth Canticle. Oh! if him you happen on
[1]
Oh! if him you happen on,Who is my Beloved One,
Daughters of Ierusalem;
I adiure you, seriously,
To informe him, how that I
Sicke am growne of loue for him.
2
Fairest of all women, tellHow thy Louer doth excell,
More then other Louers doe.
Thy Beloued, what is hee
More then other Louers bee,
That thou dost adiure vs so?
49
3
Hee, in whom I so delight,Is the purest Red and White;
Often thousands, Chiefe is he.
Like fine Gold, his Head doth show,
Whereon curled Lockes doe grow;
And a Rauen-blacke they bee.
4
Like the milkie Doues that bideBy the Riuers, he is Ey'd:
Full, and fitly set they are:
Cheekes like Spicy-Beds hath he;
Or like flowers, that fairest be:
Lips like Lillies, dropping Myrrhe.
5
Hands, like Rings of Gold besetWith the precious Chrysolet:
Belly'd like white Iuory,
Wrought about with Saphires rich:
Legges, like Marble Pillars, which
Set on Golden Bases bee.
6
Fac'd like Libanus is hee:Goodly, as the Cedar-tree:
Sweetnesse breathing out of him.
Hee is louely eu'ry where.
This my Friend is, this my Deare,
Daughters of Ierusalem.
7
Oh, thou Fayrest (eu'ry way)Of all Women! whither may
Thy Beloued turned be?
50
Who is thy Beloued-one,
That wee seeke him may with thee.
8
To his Garden wont my Deare,To the Beds of Spices there;
Where he feeds, and Lillies gets.
I my Loues am, and alone
Mine is my Beloued-one,
Who among the Lillies eates.
SONG. XVI. The eight Canticle. Beautifull art thou, my Deare
[1]
Beautifull art thou, my Deare:Thou as louely art, as are
51
(As the beautifull'st of them)
And as much thou mak'st afraid,
As arm'd Troups with Flagges display'd.
2
Turne away those eyes of thine;Doe not fix them so on mine:
For, there beame forth from thy sight,
Sweetes, that ouercome mee quite:
And thy Lockes like Kidlings bee,
Which from Gilead hill wee see.
3
Like those Ewes thy Teeth doe show,Which in rowes from washing goe,
VVhen among them there is none,
Twinlesse, nor a Barren one.
And (within thy locks) thy Browes
Like the cut Pomegranat showes.
4
There are with her sixtie Queenes:There are eightie Concubines;
And the Damsels they possesse,
Are in number numberlesse.
But my Doue is all alone,
And an vndefiled one.
5
Shee's her Mothers onely Deare,And her Ioy that her did beare:
When the Daughters her suruei'd,
That she blessed was, they said;
She was praised of the Queenes,
And among the Concubines.
52
6
Who is she (when forth she goes)That so like the Morning showes?
Beautifull, as is the Moone,
Purely bright, as is the Sunne:
And appearing full of dread:
Like an Hoast with Ensignes spread?
7
To the Nut-yard downe went I,(And the Vales encrease to spie)
To behold the Vine-Buds come,
And to see Pomegranats bloome:
But the Princes Charrets did
Vex me so, I nought could heed.
8
Turne, oh turne, thou Shulamite,Turne, oh turne thee to our sight.
What, I pray, is that, which you
In the Shulamite would view,
But that (to apparance) she
Shewes like Troups, that armed bee?
53
SONG XVII. The ninth Canticle. Thou Daughter of the Royall Line
[1]
Thou Daughter of the Royall Line.How comely are those Feet of thine,
When their beseeming Shooes they weare?
The curious knitting of thy Thighes,
Is like the costly Gemmes of prize,
Which wrought by skilful workmē are.
2
Thy Nauell, is a Goblet round,Where Liquor euermore is found:
Thy faire and fruitfull Belly showes
As doth a goodly heap of Wheat,
With Lillies round about beset;
And thy two Breasts like twinned Roes.
3
Thy Neck like some white towre doth rise:Like Heshbon Fish-Pooles are thine Eyes,
Which neare the Gate Bath-rabbim lye:
Thy Nose (which thee doth well become)
54
Which on Damascus hath an eye.
4
Thy Head like Scarlet doth appeare,The Hayres thereof like Purple are:
And in those Threads the King is bound.
Oh Loue! how wondrous faire art thou!
How perfect doe thy Pleasures show!
And how thy Ioyes in them abound!
5
Thou Statur'd art in Palme-tree wise:Thy Breasts like Clusters doe arise.
I said, into this Palme Ile goe;
My hold shall on her Branches be,
And those thy Breasts shall bee to mee
Like Clusters that on Vines doe grow.
6
Thy Nosthrills sauour shall as well,As newly gather'd Fruits doe smell:
Thy Speech shall also relish so,
As purest Wine, that for my Deare
Is fitting Drinke; and able were
To cause an old mans Lippes to goe.
7
I my Beloued's am; and heeHath his affection set on me.
Come, Well-beloued, come away:
Into the Fields let's walke along;
And there the Villages among,
Eu'n in the Countrey, wee will stay.
8
We to the Vines betimes will goe,55
Or, if the tender Grapes appeare.
We will moreouer, goe and see,
If the Pomegranats blossom'd be:
And I my Loue will giue thee there.
9
Sweet smells, the Mandrakes doe afford:And we within our Gates are stor'd
Of all things that delightfull bee;
Yea, whether new or old they are,
Prepared they be for my Deare;
And I haue laid them vp for thee.
10
Would as my Brother thou might'st beThat suck't my Mothers Breast with me:
Oh! would it were no otherwise!
In publike then I thee would meet,
And giue thee kisses in the street;
And none there is should thee despise.
11
Then I my selfe would for thee come,And bring thee to my Mothers home:
Thou likewise should'st instruct me there.
And Wine, that is commixt with Spice,
(Sweet wine of the Pomegranat Iuyce)
I would for thee, to drinke prepare.
12
My Head with his left Hand he staid:His right Hand ouer me he laid;
And (being so embrac't by him)
Said he, I charge you not disease,
56
You Daughters of Ierusalem.
SONG XVIII. The tenth Canticle. Who's this, that leaning on her Friend
[1]
Who's this, that leaning on her Friend,Doth from the Wildernes ascend?
57
Eu'n where thy Mother thee conceiu'd,
(where shee that broght thee forth conceiu'd)
beneath an Appletree.
2
Me in thy heart engrauen beare,And Seale-like on thy handwrist weare;
For, Loue is strong as Death:
Fierce as the Graue is Iealousie:
The coales thereof doe burning lye;
And furious flames it hath.
3
Much water, cannot coole Loues flame:58
For Loue so high is priz'd,
That who to buy it would assay
Though all his wealth hee gaue away,
It would be all despiz'd.
4
Wee haue a Sister scarcely growne;For, she is such a little one,
That yet no Breasts hath shee.
What thing shall wee now vndertake,
To doe for this our Sisters sake,
If spoken for she be?
5
If that a Wall she doe appeare,Wee Turrets vpon her will reare,
And Pallaces of Plate;
And then with bordes of Cædar-tree,
Enclose, and fence her in will we,
If that she be a Gate.
6
A Wall already built I am;And now my Breasts vpon the same
Doe Turret-like arise:
Since when, as one that findeth rest,
(And is of setled peace possest)
I seemed in his eyes.
7
A Vineyard hath King Salomon:This Vineyard is at Baal-hammon,
Which he to Keepers put:
And eu'ry one that therein wrought,
A thousand siluer-peeces brought,
59
8
My Vineyard which belongs to mee,Eu'n I my selfe doe ouersee.
To thee, Oh Salomon,
A thousand fold doth appertaine;
And, those that keep the same, shall gaine
Two hundred-fold for one.
9
Thou, whose abode the Gardens are,(Thy Fellowes vnto thee giue eare)
Cause me to heare thy voyce;
And let my Loue as swiftly goe,
As doth a Hart or nimble Roe,
Vpon the Hills of Spice.
72
The Lamentations of Ieremie.
73
SONG XXIIII. Lament. 1.
[1]
How sad and solitarie now (alas) is that wel-peopled Citie come to be,which once so great among the Nations Was:
And, oh how widdow-like appeareth she!
74
And now her selfe is tributarie made.
2
All night shee maketh such excessiue moneThat downe her Cheekes a flood of teares doth flow:
And yet, among her Louers there is none,
That Consolation doth on her bestow.
For, they that once her Louers did appeare,
Now, turned Foes, and faithlesse to her are.
3
Now Iudah in Captiuitie complaines,That (others) heretofore so much opprest:
For her false seruice, She her selfe remaines
Among those Heathens, where she finds no rest:
And apprehended in a Strait is she,
By those that persecutors of her be
4
The very waies of Sion doe lament:75
Because that no man commeth to frequent
Her solemne Festiualls, as heretofore:
Her Priests doe sigh; Her tender Virgins bee
Vncomfortable left; And so is Shee.
5
Her Aduersaries are become her Chiefes:On high exalted those that hate her are:
And God hath brought vpon her all those griefes;
Because so many her transgressions were:
Her Children driuen from her by the Foe,
Before him into loathed Thraldome goe.
6
From Sions Daughter (once without compare)Now all her matchlesse louelinesse is gone:
And like those chased Harts her Princes fare,
Who seeke for pasture and can finde out none:
So, (of their strength depriu'd, and fainting nigh)
Before their abler Foes they feebly flie.
7
Ierusalem now thinkes vpon her Crimes,And calls to minde, (amid her present woes)
The pleasures she enioy'd in former times,
Till first shee was surprised by her Foes;
And how, (when they perceiued her forlorne)
They at her holy Sabbaths made a scorne.
8
Ierusalem's Transgressions many were,And therfore is it she disdained lies:
Those, who in former times haue honour'd her,
Her basenesse now behold, and her despise;
Yea, She Her-selfe doth sit bewailing this;
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9
Her owne vncleannesse in her skirt she bore;Not then beleeuing what her end would bee:
This great destruction falls on her therefore;
And none to helpe, or comfort her, hath she.
Oh, heed thou, Lord, and pittie thou my woes:
For, I am triumph't ouer by my Foes.
10
Her Foe hath touch'd with his polluted hand,Her things that Sacred were, before her face;
And they whose entrance thou did'st countermand,
Intruded haue into her Holy place:
Those that were not so much approu'd by Thee,
As of thy Congregation held to be.
11
Her People doe with sighs, and sorrowes, getThat little bread, which for reliefe they haue;
And giue away their precious things for meat,
So to procure wherewith their liues to saue.
Oh Lord consider this, and ponder Thou,
How vile, and how deiected I am now.
12
No pittie in you passengers is there?Your eies, oh somewhat hitherward encline;
And marke, if euer any griefe there were,
Or sorrow that did equall this of mine:
This, which the Lord on me inflicted hath,
Vpon the day of his incensed wrath.
13
He from aboue a flame hath hurled downe;That kindles in my bones preuailing fire:
77
By which I am compelled to retire;
And he hath made me a Forsaken-one,
To sit, and weepe out all the day alone.
14
The heauie Yoke, of my Transgressions now,His hand hath wreathed, and vpon me laid:
Beneath the same my tyred necke doth bow,
And all my strength is totally decay'd.
For me to those the Lord hath giuen o're,
Whose hands will hold me fast for euermore.
15
The Lord hath trampled vnderneath their Feet,Eu'n all the Mightie, in the mid'st of Me:
A great Assembly he hath caus'd to meet,
That all my ablest men might slaughtred be;
And Iudah's Virgin-Daughter treads vpon,
As in a Wine-presse Grapes are troden on.
16
For this (alas) thus weepe I; And mine eies,Mine eies drop water thus; because that he,
On whose assistance my sad Soule relies;
In my distresse is farre away from me;
Eu'n while (because of my prevailing Foe)
My Children are compeld from me to goe.
17
In vaine hath Sion stretched forth her hand;For, none vnto her succour draweth nigh;
Because the Lord hath giuen in command,
That Iacobs Foes should round about her lie;
And poore Ierusalem among them there,
Like some defiled woman doth appeare.
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18
The Lord is iustified nay-the-lesse,Because I did not his commands obey.
All Nations therefore heare my heauinesse,
And heed it (for your warning) you I pray.
For, into thraldome (through my follies) be
My Virgins, and my Youngmen borne from me.
19
Vpon my Louers I haue cried out;But they my groundlesse hopes deceiued all:
I for my reu'rend Priests enquir'd about;
I also did vpon mine Elders call:
But, in the Citie vp the Ghost they gaue,
As they were seeking meat their liues to saue.
20
Oh Lord, take pittie now on my distresse:For loe, my soule distemper'd is in mee:
My heart is ouercome with heauinesse;
Because I haue so much offended thee.
Thy Sword abroad my ruine doth become;
And Death doth also threaten me at home.
21
And of my sad complaints my Foes haue heard,But to afford me comfort there is none.
My troubles haue at full to them appear'd;
Yet they are ioyfull that thou so hast done.
But thou wilt bring the Time set downe by thee,
And then in sorrow they shall equall me.
22
Then shall those foule Offences they haue wrought,Before thy presence be remembred all;
79
(For their Transgressions) vpon them shall fall.
For, so my sighings multiplied be,
That the rewithall my heart is faint in me.
SONG. XXV. Lament. 2.
[1]
How darke, and how beclowded (in his wrath)The Lord hath caused Sion to appeare!
How Isr'els beautie he obscured hath,
As if throwne downe from heau'n to earth he were!
Oh, why is his displeasure growne so hot?
And why hath he his Foot-stoole so forgot?
2
The Lord all Sions dwellings hath laid wast;80
For, in his anger to the ground he cast
The strongest holds that Iudah's Daughter had:
Them, and their Kingdome he to ground doth send,
And all the Princes of it doth suspend.
3
When at the highest his displeasure was,From Isr'el all his horne of strength he broke;
And from before his aduersaries face,
His Right-hand (that restrained him) he tooke;
Yea, he in Iacob kindled such a flame,
As round about hath quite consum'd the same,
4
His Bow he as an Aduersarie bent,And by his Right-hand he did plainely shew,
He drew it with an Enemies intent:
For, all that were the fairest Markes he slew:
In Sions Tabernacle this was done;
Eu'n there the fire of his displeasure shone.
5
The Lord himselfe was he that was the Foe:By him is Isr'el thus to ruine gone:
His Palaces he ouerturned so;
And He his Holds of strength hath ouerthrowne:
Eu'n He it is, from whom it doth arise,
That Isr'els Daughter thus lamenting lies.
6
His Tabernacle, Garden-like that was,The Lord with violence hath tooke away:
He hath destroyed his Assembling place;
And there, nor Feasts, nor Sabboths now haue they:
81
He both their King and Priests reiected hath.
7
The Lord his holy Altar doth forgoe;His Sanctuarie he hath quite despiz'd.
Yea, by his meere assistance hath our Foe
The Bulwarkes of our Palaces surpriz'd;
And in the Lords owne House rude Noises are
As loud as heretofore his Praises were.
8
The Lord, his thought did purposely encline,The Walls of Sion should be ouerthrowne:
To that intent he stretched forth his Line,
And drew not backe his hand till they were downe,
And so the Turrets with the bruised Wall,
Did both together to destruction fall.
9
Her Gates in heaps of Earth obscured are;The Barres of them in pieces, broke hath he:
Her King, and those that once her Princes were,
Now borne away among the Gentiles be.
The Law is lost, and they no Prophet haue,
That from the Lord a Vision doth receiue.
10
In silence, seated on the lowly ground,The Senators of Sions Daughter are:
With Ashes they their carefull heads haue crown'd,
And mourning Sack-cloth girded on them weare;
Yea, on the Earth, in a distressed wise,
Ierusalem's young Virgins fixe their eies.
11
And for because my People suffer this,82
Each part within me out of quiet is;
And on the ground my Liuer forth I throw;
When as mine eies with so sad Obiects meet;
As Babes halfe dead, and sprawling in the street.
12
For, to their Mothers called they for meat;Oh where shall we haue meat and drinke! they crie:
And in the Citie, while they food entreat,
They swone, like them that deadly-wounded lye:
And some of them their Soules did breath away,
As in the Mothers bosome staru'd they lay.
13
Ierusalem, for thee what can I say?Or vnto what maist thou resembled be?
Oh! whereunto, that comfort thee I may,
Thou Sions Daughter, shall I liken thee?
For, as the Sea's, so great thy Breaches are:
And to repaire them then; Ah who is there!
14
Thou by thy Prophets hast deluded beene;And foolish Visions they for thee haue sought.
For, they reuealed not to thee thy sinne,
To turne away the thraldome it hath brought:
But lying Prophesies they sought for thee;
Which of thy sad exile the Causes be.
15
And those, thou Daughter of Ierusalem,That on occasions passe along this way,
With clapping hands, and hissings, thee contemne;
And nodding at Thee, thus in scorne they say;
83
The Flowre of Beautie, and the Worlds Delight?
16
Thy Aduersaries (eu'ry one of them)Their mouths haue open'd at thee, to thy shame:
They hisse, and gnash at Thee, Ierusalem;
We, we (say they) haue quite destroi'd the same:
This is that day hath long expected beene,
Now commeth it, and we the same haue seene.
17
But, this the Lord decreed, and brought to passe:Hee, to make good that Word which once he spake,
(And that which long agoe determin'd was)
Hath hurled downe, and did no pittie take:
He thus hath made thee scorned of thy Foe,
And rais'd the Horne of them that hate thee so.
18
Oh Wall of Sions Daughter, cry amaine,Eu'n to the Lord set forth a heartie Cry:
Downe, like a Riuer, cause thy teares to raine,
And let them neither Day nor Night be dry.
Seeke neither sleepe, thy body to suffice,
Nor slumber for the Apples of thine eies.
19
At night, and when the Watch is new begun,Then rise, and to the Lord Almightie Crie:
Before him let thy Heart like water runne,
And lift thou vp to him thy Hands on high,
Eu'n for those hunger-starued Babes of thine,
That in the Corners of the Streets doe pine.
84
20
And thou, oh Lord; Oh be thou pleas'd to see,And thinke on whom thy iudgments thou hast thrown
Shall women fed with their owne Issue be,
And Children that a span are scarcely growne?
Shall thus thy Priests and Prophets, Lord, be slaine,
As in thy Sanctuarie they remaine?
21
Nor Youth, nor Age, is from the slaughter free;For, in the Streets lye Young and Old, and all:
My Virgins, and my young men, murthered be;
Eu'n both beneath the Sword together fall.
Thou, in thy Day of Wrath such hauocke mad'st,
That in deuowring thou no pittie had'st.
22
Thou, round about hast call'd my feared Foes,As if that summond to some Feast they were:
Who in thy Day of Wrath did round enclose,
And shut me so that none escaped are:
Yea, those that hate me them consumed haue,
To whom I nourishment, and breeding gaue.
85
SONG. XXVI. Lament. 3.
[1]
I am the Man, who (scourged in his wrath)Haue in all sorrowe I throughly tried beene:
Into obscuritie he led me hath:
He brought me thither where no light is seene:
And so aduerse himselfe to me he showes,
That all the day his hand doth me oppose.
2
My flesh and skinne with age he tired out:He bruiz'd my bones as they had broken beene:
Hee with a Wall enclosed me about:
With cares and labours he hath shut me in;
And me to such a place of darkenesse led,
As those are in that be for euer dead.
3
He shut me where I found no passage out;And there my heauy chaines vpon me laid.
Moreouer, though I loudly cried out,
He tooke no heede at all for what I praid:
My Way, with hewed stones he stopped hath,
And left me wandring, in a winding path.
86
4
He was to me like some way-laying Beare;Or as a Lyon that doth lurke vnseene:
My course he hindring, me in peeces tare,
Till I quite ruin'd and laid wast had beene;
His Bow he bended, and that being bent,
I was the marke, at which his Arrow went
5
His Arrowes from his Quiuer forth he caught,And through my verie Raines he made them passe:
Eu'n mine owne people set me then at naught;
And all the day their sporting-Song I was:
From him my fill of bitternesse I had;
And me with Wormwood likewise drunke he made.
6
With stones my teeth he all to pieces brake:He dust and ashes ouer me hath strowne:
All rest hee from my weary soule did take,
As if contentment I had neuer none.
And then I cried; Oh, I am vndone;
All my dependance on the Lord is gone.
7
Oh, mind thou my afflictions and my care;My miseries, my Wormewood, and my Gall:
For, they still fresh in my remembrance are;
And downe in me my humbled soule doth fall.
I this forget not, and when this I minde,
Some helpe againe, I doe begin to finde.
8
It is thy mercy, Lord, that we now be:For, had thy pitty fail'd, not one had liu'd:
The faithfulnesse is great that is in Thee;
87
And Lord, such claime my soule vnto thee laies,
That she will euer trust in thee, shee saies.
9
For, thou art kinde to those that worke thy will;And to their soules that after thee attend,
Good therefore is it, that in quiet still
We hope that safety, which thou Lord, wilt send.
And happie he that timely doth enure
His youthfull necke, the burthen to endure.
10
He downe will sit alone, and nothing say;But, since 'tis cast vpon him beare it out.
(Yea, though his mouth vpon the dust they lay)
And, while there may be hope, will not misdoubt.
His cheeke to him that smiteth, offers he;
And is content, though he reuiled be.
11
For, sure is he (what euer doth befall)The Lord, will not forsake for euermore:
But that he hauing punish't, pittie shall;
Because he many mercies hath in store.
For, God in plaguing take no pleasure can,
Nor willingly afflicteth any man.
12
The Lord delighteth not to trample downeThose men that here on earth enthralled are:
Or that a righteous man should be o'rethrowne,
When hee before the highest doth appeare.
Nor is the Lord well pleased in the sight,
When he beholds the wrong, subuert the Right.
88
13
Let no man mutter then, as if he thoughtSome things were done in spight of Gods decree?
For, all things at his word to passe are brought,
That either for our good or euill be.
Why then liues man such murmures to begin?
Oh! let him rather murmur at his sinne.
14
Our owne lewd Courses let vs search and trie,Wee may to thee againe, Oh Lord, conuart.
To God that dwelleth in the heauens on high,
Let vs (oh let vs) lift both hand and heart:
For, wee haue sinned; we rebellious were;
And therefore was it that thou didst not spare.
15
For this (with wrath o'reshadow'd) thou hast chac'tAnd slaughter made of vs without remorse:
Thy selfe obscured with a cloud thou hast,
That so our praiers might haue no recourse;
And loe, among the Heathen-people, we
As out-casts, and off-scourings reckon'd be.
16
Our Aduersaries all (and euery where)Themselues, with open mouth, against vs set.
On vs is falne a Terrour, and a snare,
Where Ruine hath with Desolation met;
And, for the Daughter of my Peoples cares,
Mine eies doe cast forth Rivulets of teares.
17
Mine eies perpetually were ouerflowne;And yet there is no ceasing of my Teares.
For, if the Lord in mercie looke not downe,
89
They will not stint: But, for my peoples sake,
Mine eies will weep, vntill my heart doth breake.
18
As, when a Bird is chased to and fro,My Foes pursued me when cause was none:
Into the Dungeon they my life did throw;
And there they rowled ouer me a stone.
The waters likewise ouerflow'd me quite;
And then me thought I perished out-right.
19
Yet on thy Name, Oh Lord, I called there;(Eu'n when in that Low Dungeon I did lye)
Whence thou wert pleased my complaint to heare;
Not sleighting me when I did sighing cry:
That very day I called, thou drew'st neare,
And saidst vnto me, that I should not feare.
20
Thou Lord, my soule maintainest in her right:My life by thee alone redeemed was;
Thou hast, Oh Lord, obserued my despight;
Vouchsafe thy iudgment also in my cause.
For, all the grudge they heare me, thou hast seene;
And all their plots that haue against me beene.
21
Thou heardst what slanders they against me laid,And all those mischiefes they deuiz'd for me:
Thou notest what their lips of me haue said,
Eu'n what their daily closest whisprings be;
And how (when ere they rise or downe doe lye)
Their Song, and subiect of their mirth am I.
90
22
But, Lord, thou shalt reward and pay them allThat meede their actions merit to receiue:
Thy heauy malediction ceaze them shall;
Eu'n this; Sad hearts they shall for euer haue:
And by thy wrath pursude they shall be driuen,
Till they are chased out from vnder heauen.
SONG XXVII. Lament. 4.
[1]
How dimme the Gold doth now appeare!(That Gold which once so brightly shone)
About the Citie here, and there,
91
The Sonnes of Sion late compar'd
To Gold (the richest in esteeme)
Like Potsheards are without regard,
And base as earthen vessells seeme.
2
The Monsters of the Sea haue care,Their breasts vnto their young to giue:
But crueller my people are;
And Estrige-like in Desarts liue.
With thirst the Sucklings tongues are drie;
And to their parched roofes they cleaue:
For bread young children also cry;
But none at all they can receiue.
3
Those that were vs'd to daintie fare,Now in the streets halfe starued lie;
And they that once did scarlet weare,
Now dung-hill rags about them tie;
Yea, greater plagues my peoples crime
Hath brought on them, then Sodomes were,
For, that was sunke in little time,
And no prolonged death was there.
4
Her Nazarites, whose whitenesse wasMore pure, then either Milke or Snow;
Whose ruddinesse did Rubies passe;
Whose veines did like the Saphire show;
Now blacker then the coale are growne;
And in the streets vnknowne are they;
Their flesh is clung vnto the bone,
And like a sticke is dri'd away.
92
5
Such therefore as the Sword hath slaine,Are farre in better case then those,
Who death for want of food sustaine,
Whilst in the fruitfull field it growes.
For, when my people were distrest,
Eu'n women (that should pittie take)
With their owne hands their children drest,
That so their hunger they might slake.
6
The Lord accomplish't hath his wrath;His fierce displeasure forth is powr'd;
A fire on Sion see he hath,
Which eu'n her ground-worke hath deuour'd,
When there was neither earthly King;
Nor through the whole world, one at all,
Thought any Foe to passe could bring,
That thus Ierusalem should fall.
7
But this hath happened for the guiltOf those that haue her Prophets bin;
And those her wicked Priests that spilt
The blood of Innocents therein:
Along the Streets they stumbling went;
(The blindnesse of these men was such)
And so with blood they were besprent,
That no man would their Garments touch.
8
Depart, depart ('twas therefore sed)From those pollutions get yee far:
So wandring to the Heathen fled,
And said, there was no biding there:
93
Exil'd, and made despised liue;
Yea, sent their Priests and Elders hath,
Where none doth honour to them giue.
9
And as for vs, our eies decai'dWith watching vaine reliefes we haue,
Cause we expect a Nations aide,
That is vnable vs to saue.
For, at our heeles so close they be,
We dare not in the streets appeare:
Our end we therefore comming see,
And know our rooting-out is neare.
10
Our persecutors follow on,As swift as Eagles of the skie:
They o're the mountaines make vs runne;
And in the Desarts for vs lie:
Yea, they haue Christ our life betraid,
And caus'd him in their pits to fall;
(Eu'n him) beneath whose shade we said.
We liue among the Heathen shall.
11
Oh Edom in the Land of Huz,(Though yet o're vs triumph thou may)
Thou shalt receiue this Cup from vs;
Be drunke, and hurle thy cloaths away.
For when thy punishments for sinnes
Accomplished, oh Sion, be;
To visit Edom he begins
And publike make her shame will be.
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SONG XXVIII. Lament. 5.
[1]
Oh minde thou Lord, our sad distresse;Behold and thinke on our reproach.
Our houses, Strangers doe possesse;
And on our heritage encroch.
Our Mothers, for their husbands grieue;
And of our fathers rob'd are we,
Yea, money we compel'd to giue,
For our owne wood and water be.
2
In persecution we remaine,Where endlesse labour tire vs doth.
And we to serue for bread, are faine
To Egypt, and to Ashur both.
Our fathers er'd; and being gone,
95
Eu'n Slaues, the rule o're vs haue won;
And none to set vs free is there.
3
For bread, our liues we hazard, inThe perills which the Desarts threat.
And, like an Ouen is our skin,
Both soil'd, and parch't, for want of meat,
In Sion, Wiues defiled were,
Deflowred were their Virgins young,
(Through Iudah's Cities eu'ry where)
And Princes by their hands were hung.
4
Her Elders disrespected stood:Her Young-men they for grinding tooke:
Her Children fell beneath the wood;
And Magistrats the Gate forsooke.
Their Musicke, Young-men haue forborne
Reioycing in their hearts is none:
To mourning doth our dauncing turne:
And from our head the Crowne is gone.
5
Alas, that euer we did sinne!For, therefore feeles our heart these cares:
For that our eies haue dimmed bin;
And thus the hill of Sion fares.
Such desolation there is seene,
That now the Foxes play thereon:
But thou for euer, Lord, hast beene;
And without ending is thy Throne.
96
6
Oh, why are we forgotten thus?So long time wherefore absent art?
Conuert thy selfe, oh LORD, to vs;
And we to thee shall soone conuart.
Renew, oh LORD, those Ages past,
In which thy fauour we haue seene,
For, we extreamely are debas'd,
And bitter hath thine anger beene.
THE HYMNES of the new Testament.
107
SONG. XXXII. Magnificat. Luk. 1. 46.
[1]
That magnifi'de the LORD may be,My Soule now vndertakes;
And in the God that saueth me,
My Spirit merry-makes.
For, he vouchsafed hath to view
His Handmaides poore degree.
And loe, All Ages that ensue,
Shall blessed reckon me.
2
Great things for me Th'Almightie does,And Holy is his Name:
From Age to Age he mercie showes
On such as feare the same.
He by his Arme declard his might:
And this to passe hath brought;
That now the Proud are put to flight,
By what their hearts haue thought.
3
The Mightie plucking from their Seat;The Poore he placed there:
And for the Hungrie takes the meat
From such, as Wealthy are.
But, minding Mercie, he hath show'd
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As he to our Forefathers vow'd;
To Abraham, and his Race.
SONG XXXIII. Benedictus, Luk. 1. 68.
[1]
Blest be the God of Israel;For he his People bought,
And in his Seruant Dauids house,
Hath great Saluation wrought.
As by his Prophets he foretold,
Since time began to be:
That from our Foes we might be safe,
And from our Haters free.
2
That he might shew our Fathers Grace,And beare in minde the same,
Which by an Oath, he vow'd vnto
109
That from our Aduersaries freed,
We serue him fearelesse might,
In righteousnesse, and holinesse,
Our life time in his sight.
3
And (of the Highest) thee, oh Child!The Prophet, I declare,
Before the Lord, his face to goe;
His comming to prepare.
To teach his People how they shall,
That safety come to know,
Which by remission of their sinnes,
He doth on them bestow.
4
For, it is through the tender loue,Of God alone, whereby,
That Day-Spring hath to visit vs,
Descended from on high;
To light them who in darknesse sit,
(And in Death's shade abide,)
And in the blessed way of Peace
Their wandring Feete to guide.
110
SONG. XXXIV. The Song of Angels. Luk 2. 13.
Thus Angells sung, and thus sing we;To GOD on high all glorie be:
Let him on Earth his Peace bestowe,
And vnto men his Fauour show.
111
SONG XXXV. Nunc Dimittis. Luk. 2. 29.
Grant now in peace (that by thy leaue)I may depart, oh Lord:
For, thy Saluation seene I haue,
According to thy Word.
That which prepared was by Thee,
Before all Peoples sight,
Thy Israels Renowne to be:
And to the Gentiles Light.
112
SONG. XXXVI. The Song of Moses, and the Lambe. Reu. 15. 3.
1
Oh, thou Lord, thou God of might,(Who dost all things worke aright)
Whatsoe're is done by thee,
Great and wondrous prooues to be.
2
True thy waies are, and direct,Holy King, of Saints elect.
And (oh therefore) who is there,
That of thee, retaines no feare?
3
Who is there that shall deny,Thy great Name to glorifie?
For thou Lord, and thou alone,
Art the perfect Holy-One:
4
In thy presence, Nations allShall to adoration fall.
For, thy iudgments now appeare,
Vnto all men what they are.
Here end the Hymnes of the New Testament.
113
SONG. XXXVII. The X Commandements. Exod. 20.
The Great Almightie spake; And thus said he,
I am the LORD thy GOD; and I alone
From cruell Egypts thraldome set thee free:
And other GODS but Me thou shalt haue none.
I am the LORD thy GOD; and I alone
From cruell Egypts thraldome set thee free:
And other GODS but Me thou shalt haue none.
Haue mercie LORD, and so our hearts encline,
That wee may keepe this blessed Law of thine.
That wee may keepe this blessed Law of thine.
Thou shalt not make an Image, to adore,
Of ought on earth, aboue it, or below:
A Carued Worke thou shalt not bow before;
Nor any worship on the same bestow.
Of ought on earth, aboue it, or below:
A Carued Worke thou shalt not bow before;
Nor any worship on the same bestow.
For, I thy GOD, a iealous GOD am knowne:
And on their Seed, the Fathers sinnes correct,
Vntill the third and fourth Descent be gone:
But them I alwaies loue that me affect.
And on their Seed, the Fathers sinnes correct,
Vntill the third and fourth Descent be gone:
But them I alwaies loue that me affect.
Have mercy LORD, and so our hearts encline,
That we may keepe this blessed Law of thine.
That we may keepe this blessed Law of thine.
114
The Name of GOD thou neuer shalt abuse,
By swearing, or repeating it in vaine:
For, him that doth his Name prophanely vse,
The LORD will as a guiltie one arraigne.
By swearing, or repeating it in vaine:
For, him that doth his Name prophanely vse,
The LORD will as a guiltie one arraigne.
Haue mercie LORD, and so our hearts encline,
That we may keepe this blessed Law of thine.
That we may keepe this blessed Law of thine.
To keepe the Sabbath holy beare in minde,
Sixe daies thine owne affaires apply thou to:
The Seuenth is Gods owne day for rest assign'd,
And thou no kinde of Worke therein shalt doe.
Sixe daies thine owne affaires apply thou to:
The Seuenth is Gods owne day for rest assign'd,
And thou no kinde of Worke therein shalt doe.
Thou, nor thy Childe, thy Seruant, nor thy Beast;
Nor he that Guest-wise with thee doth abide:
For, after six daies labour GOD did rest,
And therefore he that day hath sanctifi'de.
Nor he that Guest-wise with thee doth abide:
For, after six daies labour GOD did rest,
And therefore he that day hath sanctifi'de.
Haue mercie LORD, and so our hearts encline,
That we may keepe this blessed Law of thine.
That we may keepe this blessed Law of thine.
See, that vnto thy Parents thou doe giue
Such honour as the Childe by duty owes,
That thou a long and blessed life maist liue
Within the Land, the LORD thy GOD bestowes.
Such honour as the Childe by duty owes,
That thou a long and blessed life maist liue
Within the Land, the LORD thy GOD bestowes.
Haue mercie LORD, and so our hearts encline,
That wee may keepe this blessed Law of thine.
That wee may keepe this blessed Law of thine.
Thou shalt be wary that thou no man slay:
Thou shalt from all Adulterie be cleare:
Thou shalt not Steale anothers Good away:
Nor Witnesse-false against thy Neighbour beare.
Thou shalt from all Adulterie be cleare:
Thou shalt not Steale anothers Good away:
Nor Witnesse-false against thy Neighbour beare.
115
Haue mercie LORD, and so our hearts encline,
That wee may keepe this blessed Law of thine.
That wee may keepe this blessed Law of thine.
With what is thine remaining well apaid:
Thou shalt not couet what thy Neighbours is,
His House, nor Wife, his Seruant, Man, nor Maide,
His Oxe, nor Asse, nor any thing of his.
Thou shalt not couet what thy Neighbours is,
His House, nor Wife, his Seruant, Man, nor Maide,
His Oxe, nor Asse, nor any thing of his.
Thy mercie LORD, thy mercie let vs haue,
And in our hearts these Lawes of thine engraue.
And in our hearts these Lawes of thine engraue.
SONG. XXXVIII. The Lords Prayer. Mat. 6. 7.
Ovr Father which in heauen art;We sanctifie thy Name:
Thy Kingdome come: Thy Will be done
In heau'n and earth the same:
Giue vs this day our Daily bread:
And vs Forgiue thou so;
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Forgiuenesse doe bestow:
Into Temptation lead vs not;
But vs from euill free.
For thine the Kingdome, Power, and praise,
Is, and shall euer bee.
SONG. XXXIX. The Apostles Creed.
[1]
In GOD the Father I beleeue;Who made all Creatures by his Word;
And true beliefe I likewise haue
In Iesus Christ, his Sonne, our LORD:
Who by the Holy-Ghost conceiu'd,
Was of the Virgin Marie borne:
Who meekely Pilat's wrongs receiu'd,
And crucified was with scorne.
2
Who di'de, and in the graue hath laine;Who did the lowest Pit descend:
Who on the third day rose againe,
And vp to heauen did ascend
Who at his Fathers right-hand there,
Now throaned sits, and thence shall come,
To take his seat of Iudgement here;
And giue both quicke and dead their doome.
117
3
I, in the Holy Ghost belieue,The holy Church Catholike too,
(And that the Saints Communion haue)
Vndoubtedly beleeue I doe.
I well assured am likewise,
A pardon for my sinnes to gaine;
And that my Flesh from death shall rise,
And euerlasting life obtaine.
SONG. XL. A Funerall Song.
1
I am the Life (the LORD thus saith)The Resurrection is through me;
And whosoe're in me hath Faith,
Shall liue, yea though now dead he be:
And he for euer shall not die,
That liuing doth on me relye.
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2
That my Redeemer liues I weene,And that at last I rais'd shall be
From Earth, and, couer'd with my skinne
In this my Flesh, my GOD shall see.
Yea, with these Eies, and these alone,
Eu'n I my GOD shall looke vpon.
3
Into the World we naked come,And naked backe againe we goe:
The LORD our wealth receiue we from,
And he doth take it from vs too:
The LORD both wils and workes the same;
And blessed therefore be his Name.
4
From Heau'n there came a voyce to me,And this it wil'd me to record;
The Dead from henceforth blessed be,
The Dead, that dieth in the LORD:
The Spirit thus doth likewise say;
For, from their Workes at rest are they.
119
SONG. XLI. The Song of the three Children.
[1]
Oh all you Creatures of the LORD,You Angels of the GOD most high;
You Heau'ns with what you doe afford;
And Waters all aboue the skie:
Blesse yee the Lord, him praise, adore,
And magnifie him euermore.
120
2
Of God you euerlasting Powres,Sunne, Moone, and Starres, so bright that show;
You soaking Deawes, you dropping Showres;
And all you Winds of God that blow:
Blesse yee the LORD, him praise, adore,
And magnifie him euermore.
3
Thou Fire, and what doth heat containe;Cold Winter, and thou Summer faire;
You blustring Stormes of Haile and Raine;
And thou the Frost-congealing Ayre:
Blesse yee the LORD, him praise, adore,
And magnifie him euermore.
4
Oh praise him both you Ice and Snow;You Nights and Daies, doe you the same,
With what or Darke or Light doth showe;
You Clouds and eu'ry shining Flame:
Blesse yee the LORD, him praise, adore,
And magnifie him euermore.
5
Thou Earth, you Mountaines, and you Hils,And whatsoeuer thereon growes;
You Fountains, Riuers, Springs, and Rils;
121
Blesse yee the LORD, him praise, adore,
And magnifie him euermore.
6
You Whales, and all the Water yeelds;You of the Feather'd airy breed;
You Beasts and Cattle of the Fields;
And you that are of Humane seed:
Blesse yee the LORD, him praise, adore,
and magnifie him euermore.
7
Let Israel the LORD confesse;So let his Priests, that in him trust;
Him let his Seruants also blesse;
Yee, Soules and Spirits of the Iust:
Blesse yee the LORD, him praise, adore,
and magnifie him euermore.
8
You blessed Saints, his praises tell;And you that are of humble heart,
With Ananias, Misael;
And Azarias (bearing part)
Blesse yee the LORD, him praise, adore,
And magnifie him euermore.
122
SONG. XLII. The Song of S. Ambrose or Te Deum.
1
We praise Thee GOD, we knowledge thee,To be the LORD, for euermore:
And the eternall Father we,
Throughout the earth, doe thee adore:
All Angells, with all powers within
The compasse of the Heauens high;
Both Cherubin, and Seraphin,
To Thee perpetually doe cry.
2
Oh holy, holy, holy-one;Thou LORD, and GOD of Sabboth art;
Whose praise, and Maiestie alone
Fills Heau'n, and Earth in euery part:
The glorious Troupe Apostolike;
The Prophets worthy Companie;
The Martyrs Armie royall eke
Are those, whom thou art praised by.
3
Thou through the holy Church art knowne,The Father of vnbounded powre:
Thy worthy, true, and onely Sonne:
The Holy-Ghost the Comfortour:
Of Glory thou, oh Christ, are King;
The Father's Sonne, for euermore;
Who men from endlesse death to bring,
The Virgins wombe didst not abhorre.
123
4
When Conquerour of Death thou wert,Heau'n to the Faithfull openedst thou;
And in the Fathers glorie art
At Gods right-hand enthroned now
Whence wee beleeue, that thou shalt come;
To iudge vs in the day of wrath.
Oh, therefore helpe thy Seruants, whom
Thy precious blood Redeemed hath.
5
Them with those Saints doe Thou record,That gaine eternall glory may.
Thine Heritage, and People LORD,
Saue, blesse, guide, and aduance for aye:
By vs thou daily prais'd hast beene;
And we will praise Thee without end.
Oh, keepe vs, LORD, this day from sinne;
And let thy Mercie vs defend.
6
Thy mercie, LORD, let vs receiue,As we our trust repose in thee:
Oh LORD, in thee I trusted haue;
Confounded neuer let me be.
124
SONG XLIII. Athanasius Creed or Quicunque vult.
[1]
Those that will saued be, must hold,The true Catholike Faith,
And keepe it wholly, if they would
Escape eternall death.
Which Faith a Trinitie adores
In One; and One in Three:
So, as the Substance being one,
Distinct the Persons be.
2
One Person of the Father is,Another of the Sonne;
Another of the Holy Ghost,
And yet their Godhead one:
Alike in glorie; and in their
Eternitie as much:
For, as the Father, both the Sonne,
And Holy-Ghost is such.
3
The Father vncreate, and soThe Sonne, and Spirit be:
The Father he is Infinite;
The other two as He.
The Father an Eternall is,
Eternall is the Sonne:
So is the Holy Ghost; yet, these
Eternally but One.
4
Nor say we there are Infinites,125
For, there can but one Infinite,
Or vncreated be.
So Father, Sonne, and Holy-Ghost;
All three Almighties are;
And yet, not three Almighties tho,
But onely One is there.
5
The Father likewise GOD and LORD:And GOD and LORD the Sonne;
And GOD and LORD the Holy-Ghost,
Yet GOD and LORD but One.
For, though each Person by himselfe,
We GOD and LORD confesse:
Yet Christian Faith forbids that we
Three GODS or LORDS professe.
6
The Father nor begot, nor made;Begot (not made) the Sonne;
Made, nor begot the Holy-Ghost,
But a Proceeding-One.
One Father, not three Fathers then:
One only Sonne, not three;
One Holy Ghost we doe confesse,
And that no moe they be.
7
And lesse, or greater then the rest,This Trinitie hath none;
But they both Coeternall be,
And equall eu'ry one.
He therefore that will saued be,
(As we haue said before)
126
Beleeue, and still adore.
8
That Iesus Christ incarnate wasHe must beleeue with this;
And how that both the Sonne of GOD,
And GOD and Man he is.
GOD, of his Fathers substance pure;
Begot ere Time was made;
Man, of his Mothers substance borne,
When Time his fulnesse had.
9
Both perfect GOD, and perfect Man,In Soule, and Flesh, as we:
The Fathers equall, being God:
As Man, beneath is He.
Though God and Man; yet but one Christ:
And to dispose it so,
The Godhead was not turn'd to Flesh,
But Manhood tooke thereto.
10
The Substance vnconfus'd; He oneIn Person doth subsist:
As Soule and Body make one Man;
So God and Man is Christ:
Who suffred, and went downe to Hell,
That we might saued be;
The third day he arose againe,
And Heau'n ascended he.
11
At God the Fathers right-hand, thereHe sits, and at the Doome,
127
From thence againe shall come.
Then all men with their Flesh shall rise,
And he account require.
Well doers into Blisse shall goe,
The Bad to endlesse Fire.
SONG. XLIIII. Veni Creator.
[1]
Come Holy-Ghost, the Maker, come;Take in the Soules of thine thy place:
Thou whom our Hearts had being from,
128
Thou art that Comfort from aboue,
The highest doth by gift impart;
Thou spring of Life, a fire of Loue,
And the annointing Spirit art:
129
2
Thou in thy Gifts art manifold,GODS right-hand Finger thou art, LORD:
The Fathers promise made of old;
Our tongues enriching by the Word.
Oh! giue our blinded Sences Light;
Shed Loue into ech heart of our,
And grant the Bodies feeble plight,
May be enabled by thy powre.
3
Farre from vs driue away the Foe,And let a speedy Peace ensue;
Our Leader also be, that so
We eu'ry danger may eschew.
Let vs be taught the blessed Creede
Of Father, and of Sonne, by Thee:
And how from Both thou dost proceede,
That our Beleefe it still may be.
To Thee, the Father, and the Sonne;
(Whom past and present times adore)
The One in three, and Three in One,
All glorie be for euermore.
(Whom past and present times adore)
The One in three, and Three in One,
All glorie be for euermore.
Here ends the first Part of the Hymnes
and Songs of the Church.
| The Hymnes and Songs of the Chvrch | |