THE COMPLAINT OF PAVLES, TO ALL CHRISTIAN SOVLES.
THE great complaint that here is made good people,
Is of
Pauls Church, and of that polled steeple,
Which stands within the famous citie London,
Cracked, defaced, rent, and almost vndone:
Mourning like
Charing-crosse, be'ing much decaid,
And of the stormes and winter blasts afraid,
Saying (alas) will no man pitie me,
But suffer still my poore aduersitie?
I'st
S. Pauls doctrine you would faine imbrace?
Then crowne my head, do me some outward
Grace:
Let strangers see and all that come to Towne,
That your cheife Church doth flourish, not fall downe:
And let me haue some
Beautie, forme, and fashion,
That yee may shewe your selues a louing
Nation,
And so assure me you doe not reiect me,
But with your wonted fauours doe respect me.
I know that for your owne delights and pleasures,
Vpon your houses you bestow great treasures,
Without, within, not any costs you spare,
To make them shew most beautifull and rare,
With stately
Lanthornes, Pyramids, and things,
Pictures of mightie
Emperours and
Kings,
High
turrets, towers, and curious phanes of price,
As if it were the place of
Paradise,
While I am bare, and like a
Chaos stand,
That should be fairest prospect in the land.
What is the reason I should be no higher?
Because my chance was to be burnt with fire:
Or doe you thinke the charge but cast away
That is bestowed on the Church decay?
Or is it
Merlins sorceries and lies
Hath made you feare with his false
prophesies?
Or what's the reason you should thus neglect
To build me vp againe with faire prospect?
I am
Gods house, consider then I pray,
What cause there is that I should thus decay:
Is it not pitty I should ragged bee,
While on proud flesh such golden gawdes I see?
Alas for shame I cannot choose but blush,
To see the world so stumble at a rush,
Yet easily it skips and leaps or'e blocks,
Not sparing charge, nor fearing any knocks.
A thousand yeeres I stood in prosperous state,
And so remained till it was of late:
My auncient
Founders were my louers deare,
They spar'd no cost as doth full well appeare:
But rais'd me from the ground aloft the skies,
To be a wonder for a world of eyes,
And made my watchfull cocke stretch forth his wings,
As doth the
Larke when (mounting high) he sings
Haleluiah with his pretie voice,
And (neer'st the Heauens,) more he doth reioyce.
Then with the least aire that in skie did blowe,
Which way the winde did set, my cocke would showe;
Ah, then was I a
Princely Monument,
In sight of all that vnto
London went:
And then had I the
Commendation,
And held in highest reputation:
But now (like one forlorne,) I stand vnpitt'ed,
As if I had some monstrous fault committed.
Sometimes a view is made vpon my wants,
And then (twixt hope and feare) my heart it pants,
But all in vaine I hope, (alas my griefe,)
Surueiours gone, then this is my releife;
To vndertake so high a worke to mend,
Great is the charge (saie some) and to no end,
For (but for shew) to what vse will I serue,
Whereby such cost on mee, I should deserue?
Which censure makes me linger in consumption,
That to bee cured I haue small presumption.
Fie, fie, where are the minds were heretofore?
Are they growne poore, and will be rich no more?
Or are the gold and siluer Ages past,
And now an iron Age, left at the last?
Then woe is mee, my hopes, are fond and vaine,
I neuer looke to be repair'd againe.
When first I was by
Ethelbert beganne,
No helpe was wanting could be found in man;
The Labre'r would beginne at worke to sweate,
Before he did desire to drinke or eate;
All workemen striued for to shewe their skill,
Not so much for their gaine, as in good will;
Whether by taske, or working by the day,
Not one that would a minute spend in play;
Nor would they sleight their workes as now men doe,
But wrought with Art and expedition too;
One free dayes worke in euery weeke I knowe,
They would on me most willingly bestowe.
What should I say? If I should goe about,
To reckon all particulars throughout;
(The rules obserued to beginne and ende,
The gifts that many vnto mee did send,
The solemne orders laying my first stone,
With hallowing the ground I stand vpon:
The candles that were burned euery night,
At euerie time I grewe a man in height,
The noise of
Drummes▪ and eke of
Trumpets sound,
When first I did appeare aboue the ground;
The
triumph made at my first
Scaffolds raise,
The
solemne songs were sung in
Heauens praise:
The number set on worke by sea and land,
As if the Christian world I might command;
If I were best that vseth swift to write,
I could not in two yeeres the same recite.
And if so many men were in a plaine,
As for my good did labour and take paine,
A
royall armie would appeare to be,
Of power to fight with mightie enemie.
They wrought about me like the prettie bees,
And euery night went home with wearie knees,
And euery morne came fresh to worke againe,
As if the day before they felt no paine:
Their honey-drops distill'd from them apace,
(I meane the sweate of euery workemans face)
Their labour was their festiuall for me,
In hope my future prosperous state to see,
A world it was to note how all were bent,
How willingly their coyne and time they spent,
Without a Lotaty or forc'd collection,
For all were free in any such good action:
There was no pining at the Church expence,
But all was brought in true Beneuolence:
And those that died in my
diocesse,
Would will me something, more or lesse:
At all communions, and marriage dayes,
At Christenings, and many other waies:
The very poorest, would (without excuse)
Send or giue something to my proper vse:
And all to make mee beautifull and faire,
That Christ his
flocke might vnto me repaire,
To teach and learne the
Heauenly words of Grace,
And so to growe and fructifie apace,
In all good waies of Christian
Pietie,
Best pleasing to the
Heauenly Deitie.
Which (in good time) is long since brought to passe,
The like as ner'e in any kingdome was:
So that for preaching, I may now compare
With all the Churches vnder heauen are.
Praised be
God whose goodnesse doth excell,
Beyond what I can aske, or tongue can tell,
From age to age, hee still hath succour'd mee,
And out of thrall for euer set me free.
My inward garments, shine so bright and pure,
As now no errour can the same obscure:
For on the
Bread of life in me you feede,
And doe receiue all things your soules doe neede;
My
Preachers bid you come, buy without money,
Things sweeter then the honey-combe or honey;
They tell you that the poore repentant sinner,
Shal be inuited to a Heauenly dinner;
And how the wilfull wicked are corrected,
And from Gods fauour vtterly reiected.
They preach that
pride shalbe consum'd with fire,
And
God will raise the
simple from the mire.
They say that
Enuie is a murthering sinne,
Whil'st
neighbour-loue the loue of
God dtoh winne.
They teach and prooue that
griping Couetousnesse,
Is cheifest cause of sinne and wickednesse:
Whilst
Charitie and
fruits of
Christian loue,
Doth please the
Lord, and all his
Saints aboue.
They say in holy
Scripture it is found,
That all the world for drunken sinne was drown'd,
And that with water was; but now I thinke,
The greatest part will drowned be in drinke.
They say that
gluttonie and all excesse,
Shall punisht be in
Hell with paines endlesse:
And that all
whooredome, and
adulterous acts,
All
poisonings, witchcrafs, and such
wicked facts,
Treason, periurie, cousenage, and
lying,
Vnto the
Lord of Hosts are daily crying.
And thus they preach the
Law and
Gospel too,
And faithfully Gods
holy worke they doe;
And all to set you in the perfect way,
That
Heauen may yours be another day.
By this you see how faire I am within,
Oh blest are
they that did that worke beginne:
And they that did and doe maintaine the same,
Eternall be their
Honour and their
Fame:
But such as seeke that
Glorie to deface,
Hell be their ende, and in this life disgrace.
Ah faire
Eliza, now I thinke on
thee,
Full foure and fortie yeeres thou succordst me,
And didst defend me with thy
awfull sword,
'Gainst
proudest foes that did oppose
Gods word:
And when away thou must from vs be gone,
God and thou send'st a second
Salomon,
By whom and by whose issue, I am sure,
Paules faithfull doctrine shall with me indure;
And be maintained, (maugre hellish spite)
So long as
Sunne and
Moone doe yeild their light.
His words,
His workes,
His will to God is bent,
His Bookes doe shew that
Hee from
God is sent:
For
Prouerbs to
His Sonne He did declare,
1. Basilicondoron. 2. His Apology for the oath of Allegiance. 3. Canticum Canticorum.
Then next a
Preachers part He did not spare,
The third
His song of songs most sure shall be,
That shall set forth
His Kingly loue to me,
His cheife delight is all in
Trinitie,
Of them to make a perfect
Vnitie.
What is the
good wherein
Hee hath no part?
What is the
bad He hates not with
His heart?
Where are the poore that iustly can complaine,
Whose needs. He helps not, and their right maintaine?
Where is the
wight of worth and due desert,
But of
his Royall bountie hath had part?
And where's the
Princes that to Him resort,
That doe not of their welcome well report?
And eke extoll His
great magnificence,
His
wisedome, learning, wit, and
eloquence;
As did the
Queene of Saba (Dauids sonne,)
So they admire our
Royall Salomon,
And say though times doe alter and mens names,
So that our
Salomon is called IAMES,
Yet for
his wealth, his wisedome, strength and all,
A
Second Salomon you may Him call;
His
Land the
Israel that flowes with milke,
And honey sweet, corne, cattell, cloth, and silke,
Gold from all parts, spice, oyle, and wine,
Treasures from East and West, Pearls rich and fine;
People innumerable as the sands,
That well he may send out to forraigne lands,
Great store of them to place and plant elsewhere,
That He an
Israel new may build and reare,
Whereby
Gods word throughout the world may goe,
As in the
Scriptures Christ commanded so:
Goe yee preach and baptise in euery coast,
In'th name of
Father, Sonne, and
Holy Ghost:
Which worthy worke his Highnesse hath begunne,
As much as any heretofore hath done:
Virginnia, Sommer-islands, and the rest,
Will testifie in time how they are blest,
By comming of His Subiects there to liue,
Which could not be, if He no leaue did giue.
[...]
[...]
By which good meanes those which now
Sauage be,
Will come in time to
Christianitie;
If not the elder sort, the younger may,
And after one
age thousands euery day.
Though all things at the first seeme hard to bee,
Yet good beginnings haue good ends you see,
So it be followed and well protected,
And for
Gods glorie cheifely be respected:
No such beginnings need to feare good ends,
For they shall haue both
God and
King their friends.
There is not any that for wise would passe,
But holds that
England as
Virginnia was,
And how it's now the world may iudge with me,
A brauer
Kingdome neuer eie did see;
And so (in time) may poore
Virginnia,
If seconded by rich
Brittannia.
OH
God, I pray thee blesse this
Royall IAMES,
The prayer of Paules.
Q. ANNE,
Prince CHARLES,
their issue, & their realmes,
Prince PALATINE,
and his ELIZA
faire,
Their Princely Babe and first borne Sonne and Heire;
Feede
them with
Manna from thy
mercie-seate,
Let thy
Word be their onely
drinke and
meate:
Blesse all their
Counsell (faithfull, wise, and
graue,
With euery gift good
Counsellors should haue:
Their
gracious and their
reuerend Bishops all,
Blesse likewise Lord; and more especiall,
Their Reu'rend Kingly Father of this
See,
Cheife
Lord and
Preacher that belongs to me;
Also
their Deane and
Chapter of this place,
Blesse with thy louing countenance and grace,
And all the rest of
godly Ministrie,
And daily them increase and multiply:
Oh make their words and workes for aie agree,
That I the
Halci
[...]on dayes and houres may see.
Blesse all their
Nobles, Knights, and
Gentrie all,
Their
Yeomandry, and
Commons great and small.
Blesse both their
Nurses of sweete
learnings lore,
And all good
Students now and euemore:
Blesse
Them from all
designes of feare and blood,
And from all things that are not for
Their good:
Poison the poisoners that seeke
Their death,
And suffer not a
Traytor once to breath;
Roote out the
Romish rubble from
their Land,
That naught but plots of
murther haue in hand;
Driue farre from
Them all
Sorcerers and
Deuils,
And still defend
Them from pretended euills:
Blowe all the
chaffe away that spoiles good
corne,
And let no
vaultie villaines more be borne;
Set markes of
powder-vengeance in their faces,
And let it there abide to their disgraces.
Yet Lord, thou art their potter, they the clay,
Thy skill and will can worke them any way:
Then if it bee thy will, for Honour make them,
And in thine anger do not quite forsake them:
Or as the
Scripture saith, (a
blessed storie)
Do what thou wilt,
O God, for thine owne
glorie.
Blesse this most
famous Citie where I stand,
The
Flowre, the Perle, the Iemme of Brittaine Land,
The Honourable
Maior of the same,
The
Sherifs and the
Aldermen by name,
All other
officers in
their degree,
And all good
Citizens whereso'ere they be.
My
Benefactors I doe pray thee blesse,
And frame their hearts to giue with willingnesse:
So blesse,
O Lord, the
Noble English hearts,
That in
Virginnia haue done
their parts;
Incourage and increase them euermore,
And still enrich their treasure and their store;
Oh let all
worthie minds imboldned bee,
To doe the
works that best may
Honour thee.
And I doe pray thee sith the times grow ill,
Teach all the ready way to doe thy will;
So by thy
goodnesse sinne may be or'ecome,
And they prepar'd against the day of doome,
To liue with
thee in thy
eternall blisse▪
Where they shall neuer any comfort misse;
Vnto which blessed place, Lord bring them still,
That feare thy name, and striue to doe thy will.
AND now for to returne where I left off,
Least some perhaps may rashly giue ascoffe;)
I must complaine of more then yet you see,
Which I desire may well amended bee:
My body round within, and eke without.
My windowes, and my pillars all about,
My pauements, and my doores, my leads, my walls,
And many other faults vpon you calls,
And craues repaire against all wind and weather,
That wee may giue you thanks for altogether.
The Church the
foeminine gendor doth require,
And like a
Ladies should bee her attire;
Nay like an
Empresses adorn'd, and grac'd,
Within, without, in order all things plac'd;
And cheifely that Church which is most insight,
(The head, the members guide, and candle-light;)
So should I bee that all the world may know,
Th'vnfayned loue that
Brittaines hearts do owe
To mee their
Princely Church, and
Empresse deare,
In whom the
word of God doth shine most cleare.
Say that you should vpon your backe bestow
Rich clothing, as ther's many doe I know,
And on your head a threedbare cap should weare,
Motheaten, and at ev'ry touch to teare;
Would you not thinke that all which see you goe,
Could chuse but wonder why you should doe so?
In all whatsoeuer like to like is best,
If one part be well cloth'd, so let the rest;
Or els that which is base makes all seeme base,
And by that fault doth all the rest disgrace.
Were it not strange also
(oh pardon mee,)
That any one within the
Court should see
Our
Royall Queene attir'd in base aray,
And all her hand-maides cloth'd in garments gay?
I thinke t'were strange, and such vnseemely sport,
As neuer will (I hope) be in our
Court:
Yet euen so the case with mee doth stand,
That am the
Queene of Churches in this
Land:
For in the middle of a matchlesse
Citie,
I stand like to a
mourner, more the pittie,
Inuironed with buildings faire about,
And I am tallest built in all the rowt;
All other
Churches are but
dwarfes to mee,
Yet vnto all beare-headed must I bee;
My head should weare the
Crowne full well I know,
But that must stand vpon the toppe of
Bowe:
Bowe steeple in Cheapeside verie well beautified at the cost of one Parish.
Or els the shaft or spire that should bee best,
But that's vpon S.
Dunstanes in the
East;
My chime of fine small bells might well be heard,
All London ouer, but I am afeard
That some will say, what need such cost be there?
Because (of chimes) there be enough elswhere:
But such
Lobiectors I could wish were dead,
That better minds might come in place and stead;
Let such hoard vp for
Sir Hugh Prodigall,
Or
Sir Raph Want▪wit, you may
noddie call,
Whose backe and belly cheere,
Tobacco smoake,
All
good designes doth hinder, stifle, choake.
Some few (I hope) the Lord will euer raise,
To bee the
light and
mirrour of these dayes,
That (in good time) will pittie my complaint,
And with my wants will all my friends acquaint,
And stirre them vp to be as
franke to me,
As God (to them) is
bountifull and free.
One such a
Sutton as of late did die,
That turned
Charter-house to
charitie,
If to himselfe the
honour he would haue,
With halfe that charge he might repaire me braue;
But such a worthy
Phoenix is so rare;
That hardly any will with him compare;
Nay would tenne thousand would now ioyne in one,
To doe as much as he alone hath done.
But stay a while (my
Muse) no further goe,
What is the reason thou art grieued so?
Let not fell anger in thy heart take place,
But patiently I pray thee, beare a space;
Not any of my coate should angry bee,
But gentle, mild, and full of curtesie;
Nor should
beggers, (men doe say) bee choosers,
Least crauing all, they still are all the loosers.
I thinke now on a good conceit and true,
That doth my comforts once againe renue;
For listning what the
Princes said of late,
(When
they were pleas'd to be on my bald pate,)
As I did vnderstand this was
their talke,
As
they (about) on eu'ry side did walke;
Alas good
Paul (saith one) how poore and bare,
Thy head, thy sides, thy battlements now are?
Is't possible that long thou shouldest thus stand,
In such a
Cittie and a
prosperous land?
As I am
Christian I'le speake for thee,
That once againe thou mayst
tryumphant bee:
Thy shaft shall vp againe, thy cocke shall crowe,
Or else thou shalt be
crown'd as well as Bow:
Which of these two will surest on thee stand,
I will entreat thou maiest haue out of hand:
Comfort thy selfe
(good Paul) be not dismaid,
It shalbe done to thee, as I haue said;
To which the other
Princes all agree'd,
And said it should bee surely done with speed.
THIS did I heare, or els was much deceiu'd,
And of my sence of hearing quite bereau'd;
But that's no marueile if it so should bee,
For age, and cold, breeds much infirmitie,
And waiting so long bearehead is a thing
That (to the soundest) may diseases bring,
And make him so benummed, and so weake,
That hee shall hardly stand, or heare, or speake.
Indeed I am or'eioy'd, I must confesse,
When I am visited with
Princely guests;
For then I hope, some good will come to mee,
Towards releife of my necessitie;
So ioy might make me to mistake
their speech,
Which (if I did) I humbly doe beseech
A pardon for this fault, and then hereafter
Ile write of nothing but Ile bring mine Author,
To verifie the truth of that I write,
Or els my pen shall neuer more indite.
And for my
Writer also let me craue,
His pardon likewise I would gladly haue:
His learning you may see is poore and weake,
And I can make but signes, I cannot speake;
I shew'd my coate, my head, my broken sight,
How poore it was, how bald and wanting light:
Where
[...] he vow'd, that he would neuer rest
Vntill with state and beautie I were drest;
For which I must not shewe my selfe ingrate,
But pray that he may liue right fortunate:
His meaning's good, that you may plainely see,
Though he want
Eloquence to polish me,
Beare with his wants, accept of his good will,
Encourage him that is well minded still.
If once I were attired faire and braue,
Then London all her ornaments shall haue;
All things would then be sutable to me,
And to my friends most gratefull will I bee:
For then will I when my Request is done,
Send to the banks of learned
Helicon,
Or to
Pernassus mount, where
Eloquence
Doth passe my Authors dull intelligence,
Where I shall finde such fruits on Eden tree,
As shall set forth their fauours done to mee;
And on my
Pinnacles there shall they place,
Most thankefull
mottoes for my
Founders grace.
And more to shewe their loues and good intents,
They shall set
poesies on my
battlements,
That shall my
Benefactors loue vnfold,
To all the world in sentences of gold.
Let't not be said when you for Christ his sake
Warre with his enemies doe vndertake,
That your
religion doth with Church decay,
But let your seene, your vnseene
zeale display;
That valiantly you may your selues expresse,
Like
Christians stout in
weale or in
distresse,
In spight of all that wicked wights can doe,
And for the glorie of the
Gospel too.
Then famous
Brittaine thou'lt be happie still,
In godly pleasures thou shalt take thy fill:
Feare thou no
foes for
Christ will be thy guard,
Whose
breath can make a mightie
host afeard:
Thy
Kingly Dauid also can dispute
With Turke or Antichrist, and them confute;
And when to
warres his Highnesse shall incline,
He'le quell the
pride of stoutest
Philistine,
And in the meane time with a
Bible-stone,
Will dash his braines, and crush his greatest bone:
For he that in his breast doth weare that
sheild,
(As doth this
Dauid) needs not feare the field:
But with true
faith and courage
he may meete
Sathan himselfe, and stampe him at his feete.
His golden pen that wrote for
Christ his sake,
The
Angels vp to
Heauen did it take,
And bid
Him be as bold with
Pike as
Pen,
For
He should be the onely
King of men,
And that in
Him and
His posteritie,
Should be or'ethrowne all
Popish heresie:
Which Christ (I pray thee) grant it may be so,
To all that
Thy iust quarrell vndergo:
For sweet's that BLOOD
that in Thy cause is shedde,
As was Thy BLOOD
that Thou for man hast bledde.
And now for to conclude what hath beene said,
I doe beseech my
pouertie be wai'd:
Oh let not base
Obliuion burie me,
[...]
[...]
Least in
Obliuion I doe burie thee,
And scorne that thou shouldst build within my
wombe,
To grace thy selfe with any sumptuous tombe,
Where thy remembrance must indure for aye,
And I poore Church be suffered to decay.
My
Innocence pleads no such
Ignorance:
But it I were dispos'd to cast a glaunce,
I soone could finde such costs on
tombes laid out,
As almost would amend me round about:
These in my bowels neere my heart must lie,
And I poore ragged wretch must pitie crie:
And this the purse of ten or twelue haue done,
Yet left enough for wife, and euery sonne.
Can tenne or twelue doe so, and twice as much?
And shall a
Citie and a
Kingdome grutch
To giue a trifle to so good a deed,
As should releeue my pouertie and neede?
And not so giuen, neither as quite lost,
For that were vanitie and idle cost;
For from thee it doth goe vnto thy brother,
(I meane the workeman, and to many other.)
That's cast away, that goes out of the Land,
And comes no more in
King or
Subiects hand:
Or that that's hidden in the earth, or bagges,
While thy poore Brother's naked, or in ragges.
Oh come with gladnes then vnto this charge,
Brittaine is wealthy, populous, and large,
And those that giue in loue and charitie,
Into a
Booke let them recorded bee,
That childrens children may hereafter know,
The loue their
fore-fathers to me did owe;
And be incourag'd in their younger dayes,
To doe the works deseruing lasting praise:
For he that doth deferre good deeds till death,
Seild comes to good the thing hee doth bequeath.
ON bended knees of
loue and
loyaltie,
And at the feete of
Soueraigne Maiestie,
King, Queene, and Prince, and Priuie Counsellers,
Archbishops, Bishops, Brittaines Senators,
Once more I doe most humbly, begge and craue,
That my defaults amendment now may haue:
Nobles, Knights, Gentrie, Commons great and small,
In
loue and
reuerence I pray you all,
That ye these faults will helpe for to amend,
For
Brittaines honour till the world doth end:
Wiues, and
Widdowes, Maidens dying, liuing,
Vnto this worke of
Pietie be giuing;
According to your works yee shall inherit,
Yet for your works no place in Heauen can merit:
For what is he that since the world beganne,
Hath beene so iust, and so vpright a man,
Whose good works could exceede aboue his euill,
But onely
Hee that conquer'd death and deuill?
That Christ, that Lambe, that Doue, that God-man, he
Did onely merit your eternitie.
To him therefore doe you his praises send,
And so of my Complaint I make an ende.
Laus Deo in aeternum.