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On me with like consent why didst thou smile,
With glosed lookes deluding mee a-whyle,
O fortune much of might and princely powre?
To lift aloft to noble royall bowre?
To the'nde that I to honours court extold,
From stately seate might haue the greater fall,
And round aboute in euery place beholde,
Such dreadful, threating daungers to vs all,
I safer lay aloofe from enuyes knockes,
Remou'd among the craggy corsicke rockes:
Where as my mynd there free at proper sway,
With leysure did repeate my studies aye.
A gladsome ioy alone it was to viewe,
And earnestly to marke the heauens so blew:
And sacred Phœbus double wheeled wayne:
And eake the worldes swift whirling motion mayne.
The Sunne so euen his second course to keepe:
And Phœbes glyding globe so swiftly sweepe:
Whom wondrous starting starres encompasse round.
And to behold that shynes in euery stound,
The glistring beauty bright of welkin wyde:
Than which in al the world nothing besyde.
Of all this huge and endles worke the guyde,
More wondrous nature framde that I espyde,
For all the bumping bignes it doth beare,
Yet waxing old is like agayne to weare,
And to be chaungde to an vnwyldy lumpe.
Now prest at hand this worldes last day doth iumpe,
With boystrous fall, and tumbling rush of skye.
To squease and make this cursed kynd abye.
That springing once agayne, it may yeeld out
An other straunge renued vertuous route,
As once before it did, new sprong agayne,
What tyme Saturnus held his golden raygne.
That blamelesse, chast, vnspotted Uigin cleere
A goddesse much of might clept Iustice heere,
With sacred sooth sent downe from heauenly space,
At ease on earth did rule the mortal race.
That people playne knew not of warlicke feates.
Nor trembling trompets tunes that rendes and beates
The souldiers eares: nor chashing armour bright,
That warring wightes defend in field and fight.
Nor wonted was with walles to rampyre round,
Their open cityes set in any stound.
To each man passage free lay open than:
Nothing there priuate was to any man.
And then the ground it selfe and fertil soyle,
Hir fruitful bosome baard all voyd of toyle,
Into such bounden barnes a Matrone good,
And peaceable vnto so iust a broode.
But then an other second race arose,
Perceyued not to be so meeke as those.
A third more wyse and witty sort vp startes,
Of nature forged fit, t'inuent new artes:
As yet vnspotted quite with filthy vyce.
Soone after thoe, they raungd with new deuyce,
That boldly venture dare in scudding race,
Unweldy beastes for to pursue apace.
And mighty weying strugling fishes great,
With watry coats yclad with fishers feat,
With net in window wyse draw forth, and streeke
With craft of quill, the nibling fysshes cheeke.
And silly byrdes begylde with pyning trayne:
And light foote deare for lyfe that flyng amayne
Intangling gins entrapt, that safely hold.
And sturdy scouling visage buls controld,
On fleshye fillet neckes, make weare the yoake:
And earth ere that vngrubbed vp that broake:
Which then turnd vp with Plowmans shyning share,
In sacred bosome deepe, her fruits kept thare.

But now this age much worse then all the rest,
Hath lept into her mothers broken breast:
And rusty lumpish yron and massye Gold,
Hath digged out, that was quite hid with mold.
And fighting fistes haue armd without delay:
And drawing forth their bondes for rule to stay,
Haue certayne seuerall ioly kingdomes made,
And cities new haue raysde now rulde with blade,
And fenseth eyther with their proper force
Straūge stoundes or them assaults the which is worse.
The Starry specked virgin flowre of skies.
Which Iustice hight, that guilty folke discries,
Now lightly esteemd of mortall people here,
Each earthly stound is fled, and comes not neere
The sauage mannerd route, and beastly rude,
With dabbed wristes in goary bloud embrude.
The great desyre of griesly warre is sprong:
And raping thurst of gold, it is not young.
Throughout the worlde a mighty monstruous vice,
Fowle, filthy, monstruous lust hath got the price,
A pleasaunt tickling plague, whom longer space,
And errour deepe haue fostred vp apace.
The heaps of vyce rakte vp in yeares long past,
Abounding flowe in these our dayes at last.
And this same troublous tyme, and combrous age,
Oppresseth all men sore, both yong and sage.
Wherein those wicked wayes that be do raygne,
And cruell, raumping woodnes boyles agayne.
Lust strong in filthy touch, doth beare a sway.
And Princes, ryot, now doth catch away
With greedy pawes, to bring it to decay.
Th'whole worldes vncredible wealth, without delay.

But loe, which staggring steppes where Nero flinges,
And visage grymme, I feare what newes hee brynges.