XXIX. Richard Edwardes. Of Perfect Wisedome. Edward Farr, ed. 1845. Select Poetry, Chiefly Devotional, of the Reign of Queen Elizabeth

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Edward Farr, ed. Select Poetry of the Reign of Queen Elizabeth. 1845.

Of Perfect Wisedome

XXIX. Richard Edwardes


WHOSO 1 will be accounted wise,
And truly claime the same,
By ioyning vertue to his deedes
He must atchiue the same.
But few there be that seeke thereby	5
True wisdome to attaine:
O God, so rule our hearts therefore,
Such fondnesse to refraine.

The wisedome which we most esteeme
In this thing dooth consist;	10
With glorious talke to showe in wordes
Our wisedome when we list.
Yet not in talke, but seemely deedes,
Our wisedome we should place:
To speake so faire, and doo but ill,	15
Dooth wisedome quite disgrace.

To bargaine well, and shunne the losse,
A wisedome counted is,
And thereby through the greedy coyne
No hope of grace to misse.	20
To seeke by honour to aduance
His name to brittle praise,
Is wisedome which we dayly see
Increaseth in our daies.

But heauenly wisedome sower seemes,	25
Too hard for them to win;
And weary of the sute they seeme
When they do once begin.
It teacheth vs to frame our life,
While vitall breath we haue;	30
When it dissolueth earthly masse
The soule from death to saue.

By feare of God to rule our steppes
From sliding into vice,
A wisedome is which we neglect,	35
Although of greater price.
A point of wisedome also this
We commonly esteeme—
That euery man should be indeede
That he desires to seeme.	40

To bridle that desire of gaine
Which forceth vs to ill,
Our haughtie stomackes, Lord, represse,
To tame presuming will.
This is the wisedome that we should	45
Aboue each thing desire:
O heauenly God, from sacred throne
That grace in vs inspire.

And print in our repugnant harts
The rules of wisedome true,	50
That all our deeds in worldly life
May like thereof insue.
Thou onely art the liuing spring
From whom this wisedome flowes:
O wash therwith our sinfull harts	55
From vice that therein growes.

Note 1. XXIX. Richard Edwardes.—He was a native of Somersetshire, and born about 1523. In 1547 he was a student of Christ Church, Oxford, and in 1561 he was constituted a gentleman of the royal chapel by Queen Elizabeth, and master of the singing-boys in that chapel. In 1566 he attended the queen in her visit to Oxford: he died in the same year. Edwardes was one of the principal contributors to “The Paradise of Dayntie Deuises;” but only one of his poems is suitable to this work. [back]

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