| |
| AS I lay musing in my bed | |
| A heape of fancies came in head, | |
| Which greatly did molest mee; | |
| Such sundry thoughtes of ioy and paine | |
| Did meete within my pondring braine, | 5 |
| That nothing could I rest mee. | |
| Sometimes I felt exceeding ioy, | |
| Sometimes the torment of annoy: | |
| Euen now I laugh, euen now I weepe, | |
| Euen now a slumber made mee sleepe. | 10 |
| Thus did I with thoughtes of straunge deuice | |
| Lye musing alone in pensiue wise: | |
| I knew not what meanes might health procure, | |
| Nor finish the toyle I did indure; | |
| And still I lay, and found no way | 15 |
| That best could make my cares decay. | |
| |
| Reuoluing these thinges in my minde, | |
| Of wretched world the fancies blinde | |
| Alone awhile I ponder: | |
| Which when I had perused well, | 20 |
| And saw no vertue there to dwell, | |
| It made me greatly wonder. | |
| Is this that goodly thing, thought I, | |
| That all men loue so earnestly? | |
| Is this the fruit that it doth yeelde, | 25 |
| Whereby wee all are so beguilde? | |
| Ah! Jesus, how then my heart did rue | |
| Because I had folowed them as true! | |
| Alas! wee haue lost the heauenly ioyes, | |
| And haue beene deceaued with worldly toyes, | 30 |
| Whose fancies vaine will breede vs paine, | |
| If Christ doe not restore againe. | |
| |
| O wretched man! leaue off therefore,— | |
| In worldly thinges put trust no more, | |
| Which yeeldes nothing but sorow: | 35 |
| To God thy Lord with speede conuert, | |
| Because thou most vncertain art | |
| If thou shalt liue to-morow. | |
| Leaue of to quaffe, to daunce and play; | |
| Remember still the iudgment-day: | 40 |
| Repent, relent, and call for grace, | |
| For pardon aske whilst thou hast space. | |
| Who doeth from his heart repentaunce craue, | |
| Forgiuenes, saieth Christ, of mee shall haue. | |
| Hee will not the death of a sinner giue, | 45 |
| But rather he should repent and liue. | |
| Still laud the Lord; peruse his word, | |
| And let thy deedes with it accord. | |
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