The Voice of the Last Trumpet Blown, Lesson 11
¶ The Gentilmans leſſon
THou that arte borne to lande and rente,
And art clipped a gētilman:
Geue eate to me, for mine curent
Is to do the good if I can.
Thou art a man that God hath ſette
To r…le the route in thy contrey,
Wherfore thou hadſt nede for to getEccle. vii.
Good knowledge rather then money.
For ignoraunce ſhall not excuſe
When all men ſhall geue a rekeninge.
And the iudge will money refuſeMath. xvi. Rom. ii.
And iudge after ech mans doynge.
Fyrſt I aduertiſe the therfore,
And require the in Chriſtes name:
That of knowledge thou get the ſtore,
And frame thy liuynge to the ſame
Get the knowledge I ſay and then
Thou ſhalt perceyue thyne owne degre:
To be ſuche that amonge all men,
Thou haſt moſt nede learned to be.
Thou ſhalt perceyue yu haſt no time
To ſpare and ſpende in banketyng
For though thou watche til it be prime,
Thou ſhalt hauehave inough to doynge.
Thou ſhalt not finde any leaſure
Math. xiiTo dice, to carde, or to reuell:
If thou do once take a pleaſure
In vſynge thyne owne callyng wel.
For parckes of Deere thou ſhalte not care
Neither for coſtuous buildyng:
For apparel, or for fyne fare
Or any other worldly thynge.
Thy mynde ſhall be ſtyll rauiſhed
With the deſyre to walke vpright.
And to ſe all vyce puniſhed,
So muche as ſhall lye in thy myght.
Thou ſhalt delite for to defen…e
The pore man that is innocent:
And cauſe the wicked to emende,
And the oppreſſour to repent.
Thou ſhalt hauehave delite in nothyng
Sauynge in doynge thy duty:
Whych is vnderunder God and thy kyng
To rule them that thou doeſt dwel by.
Thou ſhalte not thinke yt thou mayſte take
Thy rent to ſpend it at thy wyl
As one that ſhoulde no recknyng make,Rom. xiiii
For ought that he doth well or yll.
But thou ſhalt fynde yt thou art boūd
And ſhalt anſwer much more ſtraightlyLuke. xii.
Then the pore men that tyll the ground
If thou regard not thy duty.
¶ Thou ſhalt not fynde that thou maiſt reiſe
Thy rent or leauy a great fyne
More then hath bene vſed alwayes
For that only is called thyne.
For as thou doeſt hold of thy kynge
So doeth thy tenaūt holde of the
And is allowed a lyueynge
As wel as thou in his degre.
If thou therfore wouldſt not thy king
Should take of the more then hys due
Whye wylt thou debate the lyuyng
Of thy tenaunt and cauſe him rue.
For knoweledge wil tel the that thou
Muſt… do as thou wouldeſt be done byMath. vii.
And ryght ſo wyll ſhe tell the howe
Thou maiſte diſcharge all thy dutie
She wyl teach the to be content
Wyth that thou haſte by heritage
And eke to lyue after thy ren…e
And not to falle into outrage.
If thou maye diſpende. xl…li,
Thou maieſte not lyue after .lx.
Neyther maiſt thou encloſe thy ground
That thou maiſt make it yerly more.
For knowledge will teach the to ſeke
Other mens health more thē thine own
And rather to fede on a leke
Then one houſe ſhould be ouerthrowen.
Thou ſhalte by hir learne that yu arte
A father ouer thy contrey
And that thou ough…eſt to play the part
Of a father both nyght and day.
Thou ſhalt by knoweledge vnderſtād
Pſal. lxxxii.That thou muſt ſuccour the neady,
And in their cauſe ſ…ch men wtſtand,
As ſhewe them ſelues ouer gready.
In fine knowledge that is Godly
Wil teach the all that thou ſhalt do
Belongynge to thyne owne duty
And other mens duty alſo.
Get the knowledge I ſay therfore
That thou maiſt be worthy thy name:
For without hir thou maiſt no more
Be calde a Gētilman for ſhame.
For without knowledge thou ſhalt be
Of all other moſt out of frame:
Bicauſe there is nothinge in the
That may thy luſte chaſtice or tame.
Without knowledge, yu wylt folowe
Thy fleſhe and fleſhly appetite:
And in the luſtes therof wallowe
Setting therin thyne whole delite
Without knowledge yu wilt oppreſſe
Al men that ſhalbe in thy power.
And when they ſhall be in diſtreſſe
Thou wylt them cruelly deuoure
Without knowledge thou wilt araie
Both the and thine paſt thy degre
And eke maintaine outragiouſe play
Til thou hauehave ſpent both land and fee.
To make an end, vnleſſe thou hauehave
Knowledge remayninge in thy breſte
Thou ſhalt be worſſe then a vile ſlaue
That doth al honeſty deteſt.
Get the knowledge therfore I ſay,
And eke the feare of God aboue:
And let thy ſtudy be alwaye
To knowe what thing doth the behoue.
But fyrſt before all other thynges
Sette the Lordes feare before thy face:Pſa. xxxiii.
To guide them all thy doynges
That thou delite not in treſpace.
For he that doth delite in ſynne,
Shal neuer gouerne his life wel:
Nor any Godly knoweledge wyn,
For wiſedome wil not with hym dwell.Sapie. i.
Then ſeke for knowledge buſily
And leaue not of ty ſhe be found
And whē thou haſt hir perfectly
To the Lordes feare let hir be bound
And let theim two beare al the ſwea,
In thy doynges early and late:
Let them agre and ende their plea
Before thou do appoint the ſtate.
By their aduiſe ſuruey thy Lande
And kepe thy courtes doeth farre & nere
And ſe they do faſte by the ſtande,
In thyne houſekepynge & thy chere
Gaue them preſent before thine eyes,
In all thy dedes what ſo they be:
In ceſſions and eke in aſſiſe,
Let them not be abſent from the.
Let them rule al thy familye
And eke enſtructe thy children yonge:
That they may thyne office ſupply
When wt his dart death hath the ſtonge
And laſt of al, leaue them to guide
Thy chyldren and theyr families:
That thine houſe and ſtocke may abide,
And r…le the route in godly wyſe.
No more to the hauehave I to ſay,
But that thou kepe Gods feare in ſight
And make it the guyde of thy way
As wel by bright day as by nyght.
So doynge I dare the aſſure
That in the ende thou ſhalt obtayne:
The blyſſe that ſhal euer endure
Wyth Chriſte our maiſter for to raigne.