A New Years Gift, Poem

A New Years Gift · Poem

¶ A new yeres gyfte, wherein is taught the knowledge of our ſelfe and the feare of God. Worthy to be geuen and thankefullye receyued of al Chriſten men.

Imprynted at London bi Robert Crowley dwellinge in The rentes in Holb…rn. The yere of our Lord. M. D. xlix. the laſte daye of December

☞ Autore eodem Roberto Croleo

¶ Cum prunlegio ad imprimendum ſolum.

¶ To the Chriſtian Reader.

HAueHave here (gentle reader) a thinge verie ſmall

In vtter aparaunce (as thou maieſt wel ſee)

And yet in effecte it conteineth all

That Chriſt in his Goſpel requireth of the,

Wherfore as a miroure or glaſſe let it bee,

Wherin thou maiſt ſe thine owne Image plaine,

And hauehave therby cauſe thy luſte to reſtraine.

AS bread to the hungry is better then golde

And Drincke in oute drought, a treaſure moſt hie:

And as the fyre pleaſeth the man that is colde

So doeth honeſt knowledge ſuch as be wittie.Prouerb. ix.

For ſuche men do fele them ſelues eaſed therby.

And as the mā that doeth a greate treaſure finde

So are they delyted therwyth in theyr minde.

¶ Intending therfore to geue to the wyſe.

A preſent of pleaſure at this newyets tyde

A more pleaſant thinge. I coulde not deuiſe

Emonge all the treaſure of thys world ſo wyde

To ſuche men as be not pufte (vp with pride)

Then for to teach them with wordes moſt plaine

By what meanes they mighte all theyr vices refraine

¶ Firſt ſe that ye learne your ſelfe for to knowe

From whenſe ye are come,Rom. xiiii.Rom 14 and whither you ſhall

And that God wyll iudge as well hyghe as lowe

When he ſhalbe ſet on hys tribunall.

Not fearynge the greate, nor ſparynge the ſmall

But geueyng to all men of euerye degre

Accordynglye as theyre doynge ſhall be.ii Cor. v.2 Cor 5

☞ For who ſo that knoweth him ſelf thorowly

Shall neuer be haute nor loftie of mynde

But ſhalbe in herte euermore low lye

Confeſſynge the fautes that are in mankynde.

The louelove of him ſelfe ſhal him neuer blynde.Eſai. lxiiiiIsa 64

He ſhall knowe him ſelfe to be but vyle duſte

Whych knowledge ſhal cauſe him to brydle his luſt.

¶ If he be a kynge, a Lorde or a knighte

And hauehave of his contrey the cheife gouernaunce

He ſhall euer hauehave him ſelfe in hys ſyght

When flattering fortune ſhal him aduaunce.

Hys rentes and hys fees he ſhall not er. haunce

For he ſhall alwayes hauehave mynde of his ende

And ſtudie the innocente for to defende.Eccle. vii.Eccl 7

☞ For why he ne knoweth howe ſoone he ſhall go

To duſte whēſe he came as nature doth bynde

And certen he is to hauehave endeles wooe

If happlye he frame not his herte and his minde

Wyth all his endeuoure to ſearch and to fynde

The waye that ſhall lede him into endles bliſſe

Whiche all men hauehave loſte bi that one dyd amiſſe

☞ He knoweth not the tyme,Rome. v. the maner nor place

Of hys goynge henſe, it is ſo vncertayne

Wherefore he will call to God for hys grace

To gouerne the Fancies of hys fleſhlye, brayne

That after thys lyfe he maye lyue and reigne

Wyth the kyng of al kinges, who geueth the ſame

To all that do aſke it in Chriſte (his ſonnes) name.Iohn. xiiii.John 14

☞ In fine, al eſtates what ſo euer they be

That do know them ſelfe,Eccleſ. vil. & thinke on their ende

Wyll ſeke to walke ryght in their owne degre

And all their enormities for to emende.

And that whiche they ſeke for, god wyll them ſende.

For he of his promiſe is certen and ſure

And wil be as longe as this world ſhall endure.Math. vii.Matt 7

☞ I areade you therefore thys knoweledge to gette

With al maner haſte and expedite ſpede

Remoueynge al thinges that may do you lette

Leſte haplye ye lacke it in tyme of youre nede

And compt your ſelfe corne when you be but vyle wede

Or elſe to be braunches of Chriſte the true vine

When your fruite is apt to make no good wyne.

☞ Fyrſt know y^t the matter wherof ye do growe

Is more vile in ſight then the dirt of the ſtrete.Gene. …

And when ye be growne vp ye do not knowe howe

Then do ye begynne awaye for to flete

Euen as doeth the floud after plē tie of weteIob. xiiii.Job 14

And when ye be furniſhed beſte to enoure

Then of youre abydynge you are moſt vnſure

Youre noriſhyng vp in youre tender age

Is very paynful, and ryght daingerous

And whē ye be ſtronge, then ginne you to rage

And to folow maners voluptuous

Not one emonge twentie is found deſyrous

To furniſh him ſelfe with maners vprighte

And to be founde honeſte in eueryevery manes ſighte

¶ Yea where hauehave we one that doeth him apply

To any good thinge by hys owne accorde?Pſal. xiiii.Ps 14

Wythoute chaſtiſmente we do nothinge pardie

Tyll we be out of the reache of the rodde

Except ſpeciall grace be geuen vsus of god

To brydle our luſte and our fleſhly wyll

Whiche can of it felfe do nothyng but yll

☞ And when we be come to oure owne gouernaunce

Then either we endeuoure ryghte ſhortli to clime

Or elſe do we geue vp our ſelfe to paſtaunce

And in Idlenes conſume all oure tyme

As thoughe Idlenes were not a foule cryine.Math xxiiii. Luke. xii.Matt 24Luke 12

And for to miſpend that god hath vsus ſente

Dyd not at godes hande, deſerue puniſhmente

☞ Nowe when we wax olde and drawe to oure ende.

Then entereth Auarice into oure herte

And cauſeth that when we ought chiefli to emende

We are geuen wholi to the contratie parte

No promyſe nor threatnynge can vsus conuerte

Vnles the lorde god do drawe vsus bi his grace

Forgeueinge oure ſinnes and our wicked treſp…ſe.

☞ Thus ſee yee howe vile, howe k…e…ke and how wilde

Howe wyckedly bente, and howe abominable

How hard to emende, and eke how detyl…e.

Ye are, and in all poyntes how miſerable,

Howe in your deſyres vnſatiable

And how of your ſelfe ye be worſt in the ende

When reaſone woulde rather that ye ſhoulde emende

¶ Conſyder therfore your ſelfe in this glaſſe

And let not youre Image go oute of your ſyghte

And then I ne doubte it will come well to paſſe

That you ſhal endeuour to walke ſtyll vprighte

And in the Lordes law to ſet your delightePſal. xviii.Ps 18

So that by hys grace ye ſhall neuer blinne

To call for his merciemercy and repent youre ſynne

¶ Thys done, you muſte learne that god is your iudge

Who iudgeth all men wythouten reſpecte.Iob. xxxiiii.Job 34

He is not a frayde of youre armes hudge

Nor of the ſtronge fortes that you do erecte.

He is euer able ſuche thinges too deiecte.

And wil whē he luſteth beat doune to the ground

All ſuche mightye thinges,Gen. iiii.Gen 4 wherſo they be founde

He feared not Caine that kylled Abell

No more dyd he ſpare poore Lamech the blynde

Stoute Nemroth alſo that buylded Babel,Gene. x.Gen 10

In parte of his plages was nothyng behynde:Gene. xix.Gen 19

The fylthie Sodomes dyd ſmall fauoure fynde

Ryght ſo dyd in Egipte the kyng Pharao,Exo. xv.Exod 15

And Nabuchodonozer with other moe.Dani. iiii.

☞ What ſhulde I rehearſe howe in wildernesNume. xi. Exod. xxxii.Exod 32

He plaged his people that oft did repine

And how afterward for vnthankfulneſſe

They planted the vines & dranke not the wyne

Suche is the power of the Godhead diuine

Wherefore I aduiſe you for to repente.

Before he do come to ſyt in iudgemente.

¶ For when he is ſet, he will iudg you righte

It is thē to late for mercy to craue

And in no place can you be out of his ſighte

For he ſeeth the corners of euerye caue

To him lyeth open bothe hell and the graue.Pſal. xxxxix.Ps 49

Wherefore while you mai do ther vponupon thyncke

And let the lordes feare into your hertes ſyncke.

☞ Embrace the lordes fear: for therof doth ſpringe

The rote of all wiſedome,Pſalm, xxi. as Dauid doeth ſay

And if ye lacke that then know ye nothinge

Belongynge vntounto the heauenlye waye.

For vponupon goddes feare all knowledge muſt ſtay

Elſe muſte it nedes be reproued as vayne

Becauſe it procedeth of manes Idle braine.

¶ But knowledg y^t doeth ſpryng oute of the Lordes feare

Is euermore conſtante, certen and ſure

And cauſeth eche man hys croſſe for to beare

And in all hys trouble for to endure

It cauſeth a man to hauehave litle pleſure,

In anye thynge that doeth vponupon the earth lye

And to ſeke his conforte in heauen on hie.

☞ Goddes feare teacheth as to ſeke for his will

And eke for to frame oure lyfe to the ſame

Ryght ſo doeth it teache vsus to do no man yll

In hurtinge his perſon or ſtaineynge his fame

It teacheth vsus to lead a life withoute blame.

And to do our beſt to profit al mē

With al the giftes that God hath to vsus geuen.

☞ Thus knowyng my ſelfe, and fearinge the Lorde

I wyſhe to all men a luckie newe yere,

And grace for to ſeeke after peace and concorde

That the louelove of Chriſte maye in them apeare

And that banketting in ſpirituall there

They maye all theyr faultes eſpye d…em ende

Before the twelue monethes bee come to an ende.

Finis.

End of the text · Robert Crowley, A New Years Gift (1549)