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Of misrules contending / with gods_worde by name. | |
And then / of ones Iudgment / that heard of the same. | |
I Heare-saie, that some saye, ther chaunsed of late Heare-saie: =Hearsay, 'tell what one has heard' | |
Betwene one mad misrule, & goddes_word great hate | |
The cause of there out-fall (as some saye) is this | |
By here-saye, I harde it, now marke what it is | |
5 | This misrule, was moued, and madde in his mynde |
That goddes_worde with great men, such grace shuld still finde | |
Wherby as an out-caste he myght be reiecte | |
Thys some say, and here-saye, to be the effecte. | |
But douting where all things, whyche some saye were ryght | |
10 | Sith some saye, by here-saye, a lye spred be myght |
I sought, and harde some saye, they did it beholde | |
By whose wordes of credit, my doutes were resolued | |
But now to my purpose, agayne for to come | |
This misrule, through madnes, at last frynds had some | |
15 | Of whome he gat comforte, as it maye well seme |
His boldnes well wayed, who would not so deme. | |
And beyng in fauor, at laste well was he | |
That could vnto mysrule, from good_order flee | |
Who lost not ther labor, as some saye for that | |
20 | But were well estemed, and had, I harde what. |
That gods_worde muche lothing, could it not abyde | |
But stepped fourth boldly, and misrule defied | |
Wyshing from misrule, all men to refrayne | |
As from a thing noysome, to vile, and to vayne. | |
25 | But misrule that hearyng, beganne for to starte |
Lyke one that were vexed, and that to the harte | |
As it well aperethe, by his subtil shyft | |
Who so well can ponder, the truth of his dryft. | |
He knew well, he could not, goddes_worde well withstond | |
30 | To mete hym as men do, that fyght hand to hand |
But sought his fetch farder, by couler to craue fetch ='stratagem' | |
And so vnder couler, goddes_worde to depraue. | |
But now if in conscience, speake frely I maye | |
In mynde I digresse not, from that whyche some saye | |
35 | If mysrule mayntayned be, and seke to ascend |
In this case I doute muche, but mark well the ende. case] casse 1553 | |
What regions to Ruyn, hath there not bene brought | |
Where misrule was chosen, and good_rule vnsought | |
Weales publick full welthy, to nought brought it hath | |
40 | For mysrule to myschiefe, must nedes be the path. |
What caused gods wrath, all fleshe to distroye | |
Saue onely, .viii. parsons, with olde father Noye | |
But for that this misrule, gods_worde did deface | |
And moued that all men, misrule shuld imbrace. | |
45 | In Sodom and Gomor, suche-lyke stryffe began stryffe: =strife |
Betwene this madde mysrule, and gods_worde : but than | |
Could god longe abide it? when he in his fume | |
With sulphire and brimston, mysrule dyd consume. | |
His owne Iewish people, as ofte as they ranne | |
50 | A_maddyng with mysrule, wyth plages God beganne |
To lerne vs that mysrule, he alwayes did hate | |
And yet (alas) se you? how he plaith chek-mate. | |
By misrule the subiectes, be so far past grace | |
Theyr heddes and their rulers, they know not in place | |
55 | But lyke to beastes brutall, with vngodly strife |
As rebelles resyst wyll, wyth losse of their lyfe | |
What law is so strayt made, they feare not to breake | |
What threat can suche tounges stoppe, they feare not to speake | |
What doctrine can dryue them, to know what they be | |
60 | What myschief may moue them, that onely they se. |
What nede mo examples, then this our owne realme then: =than | |
To teach vs that mysrule, hath bene to extreame | |
In preasinge so proudly, to noble welfare preasinge: =praising, or perhaps pressing | |
As some saye, so boldly, as it were Iack_hare | |
65 | And so, vnder couler, of spare, and beware |
To taunt at gods prechers, as muche as they dare | |
Sayeng, such passe not, by here-saye to go | |
And preach in ther pulpittes, that thus some saye so. | |
Of some-saye, and here-say, this well tell I canne some-saye: =some-say, 'a reported saying or statement' | |
70 | That here say, and some saye, the truth now and than |
Of such, as both some-saye, and here-saye, dysdayne | |
Bycause that both here saye, and some saye, so playne. | |
But be it, that some saye, by here-say a_misse | |
And saye not (through here-say) the truth as it is | |
75 | Doth it therfore folow, for that thinge fourth brought |
That al thinges whyche some say, therfore shuld be nought. | |
If it be vnlawfull, by here-say to wade | |
I meruell what Paull ment, to vse the same trade | |
Who speaking by here-say, belyue did the same | |
80 | Which purgeth (as some saye) the rest from all blame. |
But gods_worde of one thing, hath cause to reioyse | |
For that this sharpe taunting, is but mysrules voyce | |
Who beinge accepted, to muche thus I feare | |
Of ryght shuld leaue courtinge, and not remayne there. courtinge: =courting, 'frequenting of the court' | |
85 | But who shall stand douting, when our noble Kynge |
Wyth his faythfull counsaill, perceaue shall the thinge | |
But that they wyll shortly, mysrule so represse | |
That glad shal the good be, to se suche redresse | |
Finis. Quod Wyllyam_Kethe. |
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Dominus mihi adiutor. | |
Imprynted at London in Temestrete by Heugh_Syngelton dwellynge ouergaynst the Stiliardes. |