| Sir Walter Raleigh (1554?–1618). Poems. 1892. | | | | XIII. | | On the Cards and Dice |
| | | BEFORE the sixth day of the next new year, | |
| Strange wonders in this kingdom shall appear: | |
| Four kings shall be assembled in this isle, | |
| Where they shall keep great tumult for awhile. | |
| Many men then shall have an end of crosses, | 5 |
| And many likewise shall sustain great losses; | |
| Many that now full joyful are and glad, | |
| Shall at that time be sorrowful and sad; | |
| Full many a Christian’s heart shall quake for fear, | |
| The dreadful sound of trump when he shall hear. | 10 |
| Dead bones shall then be tumbled up and down, | |
| In every city and in every town. | |
| By day or night this tumult shall not cease, | |
| Until an herald shall proclaim a peace; | |
| An herald strong, the like was never born, | 15 |
Whose very beard is flesh and mouth is horn.
Sr WAL. R. | | | | |
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