Songs of Zion, Poem 8 – Dedication 12
The first depth.
1.
HOvve is our gold so dymme?
The fine gold hovve ist lost?
The stones of the lords house are vvast
This is our case, our cost.
2.
Our sonnes that vvere so strong
Are trod as clay in streete,
And as the potts so are they broke
They crush thē vvith their feete.
3.
The formes of fish in sea,
That are most strange to see
Yea they to young ones yeald their breasts
with vsus this may not bee.
4.
The babe that suckes is drye,
For bread the young ones cry,
But bread, & breast they can hau… no…
And so they faint, & dye.
5.
They that did feede most fine
The crusts most course vvould hauehave▪
They that put on their robs of silk…
The pigs …oote seekes, & craue▪
6.
The vvoe that vve doe bere
Is farre more great then vvhen
our god did rayne fell fire frō skey,
And burnt the sonnes of men.
The second depth.
1.
THey that vvere pure as snovve,
And vvhite as is the milke
That lookt so red, so fresh, so faire,
And clad them selues vvith silke.
2.
They are as blacke as cole,
By face they are not knowne;
Their skin is parcht, & cleaues to bones
They vvaile, they vveepe, they moane.
3.
They vvhom the svvord doth kill
We count in a good case,
…or they that liue doe pine for vvant,
Both they, & all their race.
4.
The babes that sucke the …
We seeth for meat in po…,
Or else vve pine for vvant of …
Our limbs doe fade, & r….
5.
The lord is vvrath vvith vsus,
On vsus he shoures his ire,
And vve are cleane put out of …
He burnes vsus vp vvith fire.
6.
The kings of all the earth
Doe stand in maze to see.
Our foes march in our streats … ro…
& vve poore soules to flee
The third depth.
1.
BUt this is come to vsus
For that vve shed the bloud
Of such as vvere most neere to god,
And shevvd vsus all the good,
2.
The bloud I say of them
Doth cry gainst vsus to god,
And novve vve feele his hand of ire
His scourge, his vvhipe, his rod.
3.
This bloud of men so iust,
Hath bine our bane, our vvoe,
And made vsus turne our backes frō such
As made them selues our foe.
4.
For vve card not for Preeste.
Nor those that did vsus good,
But vvere both ferce, & fell to them
We stroue to sheed their bloud.
5.
For this our eies doe vvatch,
And vvaite, & still doe faile.
No helpe, noe hand is strecht to … ▪
And so vve faint, & quaile.
6.
The foe doth hunt our stepps
As vve goe in the streete
They kill, they cry, they roare on v…
They tread vsus vvith their feete
The fourth depth.
1.
THey hunt vsus in the feilds
On hills in dales they kill
We dare not once loke out of dore
Our streats vvith dead they fill.
2.
The breath of all our liues
Is caught fast in their snare,
And left he is in plight full ill,
Both base, & poore, & bare.
3.
Let these be glad that dvvell
Farre of out of this place
Take heede least you doe moue the lord.
Gainst you to turne his face.
4.
For he hath plagud vsus sore
For all our sinnes, & ill,
And yet vve hope he vvill lokeb…
And cease our folke to ki….
The V. CAP.
5.
O lord call thou to mind
What is come on vsus all
Take heede to vsus that in our vv…
To none but thee doe call.
6.
Our lands, our rents, our all
The foe from vsus doe take.
The folke that are to vsus most strang
A prey of vsus doe make.
The fift… depth.
1.
Our babes doe knovve noe sires,
And they that gaue the breast
Doe sitt, and sighe, & roare, & cry,
Ne can they take their rest.
2.
Our drinke to vsus is sold,
Our vvood vve buy full deare,
And all this ill is come on vsus
For th…e vve did not feare.
3.
Our neckes are prest vvith yokes
On vsus they lie full sore.
We moile, & toyle, & hauehave noe rest
O lord vvhat vvilt thou mor…
4.
To those that be our foes
For bread vve giuegive our hands
They tire on vsus, & make a prey,
They breake in to our lands.
5.
They that are dead, & gone,
O lord hauehave done the sinne,
And vve poore soules doe pay the price,
These take vsus in their gin.
6.
Base slaues vvhom vve did beate,
Ore vsus novve rule, and tire,
& there is none that doth vsus helpe
Our feete stickes in the mire.
The sixt depth.
1.
OUr bread vve gett vvith dread,
It costs vsus halfe our life
…e vvaile in midst of vvoe, & waste
All night, all day in strife.
2.
Our skin like to a Moore
Is black for vvant of meate
Our parts are parcht to skin, and bone
Thy vvrath o lord is great.
3.
Our maids they make a prey
To serue their minds, & lusts
Our vviues they vvronge in all our sights,
Yet lord thy hand is iust.
4.
By hand our prince they hang,
The old men they doe scorne
Our gree…e doth last till it be night,
And eke till it be morne.
4.
They make our young on… …
And toyle like horse in mill.
Their backes they load vvith bat… of …
Till that they doe them kill.
5.
The old men sitt noe more
To iudge the cause in gate
The young mē vvaile that vvont to sing
Oh vvhen vvill be our date
6.
Our ioy of hart is gon…
Our daunce is turnd to moane
our minds doe muse of nought but vvoe
We sitt, & sighe, & grone.
The seauenth depth.
1.
THe crovvne is gone from vsus,
And all the rule is fled,
What shall vve doe o lord our god
Our sinne hath struck vsus dead.
2.
For sinne our hart is faynt,
For sinne our eies are dymme,
For sinne our foes doe vvarre on vsus,
And rend vsus limbe, by limbe.
3.
Our hills, and dales are vvaste
The foxe doe roome, & range,
These things to see our harts doe bleed,
To vsus it is most strange.
4.
Yet lord thou art for aye,
Thy throne is sett full sure
Thou canst vsus helpe, vvhen hope is gone
O lord novve doe vsus cure.
5.
Why then dost hide thy face?
And vvilt not on vsus looke
Thou vvilt at last thy grace vsus giuegive
That is vvrote in thy booke.
6.
Turne to vsus lord vve praye,
And then vve shall see grace,
O giuegive to vsus the daies of old,
Thy name sett in this place.
7.
What shall thy vvrath like fire
Still last, and burne, & kill
O cease svveet lord vve doe thee pray
So shalt thou find noe ill.
Seauen dumpes
ON THE SEAUEN WORDS …hat Christ spake on the crosse which shevve the seauen depthes of the lavves curse, vvhichwhich our lord did feele for our sinnes.
And is set to the tune of I lift mine hart to thee.
PSAL. XXV.
To his much esteemed good frend Mr. GEORGE FRANKLYN on of the Assistants of the most vvorthy companie of marchants-Adventurers residing at Hamb:
Grace here, Glory hereafter in Christ.
LOuing, and beloued. The vvords of a dying father, or of a dying frend are vvont to take deepe impression in the minds, & memories of good natures. Whose vvords shall pearce, if the vvords of our Christ our dying Christ, and that for vsus, & his last also. Whose I say if not his? To you I send the last vvords of Christ, in the last place, yet you are not the least in my louelove. The first in intention, is last in excecution. And nothing is conveayed to the intellectuall povvers that is not first in the sensible parts. It vvas gods purpose of our Christ euen in the creatiō, that he should be thus vponupon the crosse. See then your Christ at his last. Tune your dolefull dumps to a sad soule, and ioy in sobbs. For he prayes, cries, yells, promiseth, perfecteth all, that vve may be all in all vvith god. What can be more? Christ passion is the modell of our profession, yea the medall of our perfection. For gods strength is perfected in our vveakenes.
We may sovve in teares, vve shall reape in ioy. Let my spring be vvett so that I may hauehave a plentifull Autume I care not. Vir dolorum can best tune his voice to dolours. If god vvill hauehave it so, His vvill be done. He did so vvith his ovvne. We cannot imagine our condition free. God giude vsus through all by his sauing grace, To vvhichwhich I shall euer recommend you, and rest.
Your more then much affectionate. W. LOE.