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| YE 1 stately wights, that liue in quiet rest | |
| Through worldly wealth which God hath giuen to you, | |
| Lament with teares and sighes from dolefull brest | |
| The shame and power that vice obtaineth now: | |
| Behold how God dooth daylie proffer grace, | 5 |
| Yet we disdaine repentance to imbrace. | |
| |
| The suddes of sinne doo soke into the minde, | |
| And cancred vice dooth vertue quite expell; | |
| No change to good, alas! can resting finde, | |
| Our wicked hartes so stoutly do rebell. | 10 |
| Not one there is that hasteth to amend, | |
| Though God from heauen his daylie threats downe send. | |
| |
| We are so slow to change our blamefull life; | |
| We are so prest to snatch a luring vice; | |
| Such greedy hartes on euerie side be rife; | 15 |
| So few that guide their will by counsell wise, | |
| To let our teares lament the wretched case, | |
| And call to God for vndeserued grace. | |
| |
| You worldly wights, that haue your fancies fixt | |
| On slipper ioy of terraine pleasures here; | 20 |
| Let some remorse in all your deeds be mixt; | |
| Whiles you haue time, let some redresse appeare. | |
| Of sodaine death the hower you shall not know; | |
| And looke for death, although it seemeth slow. | |
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| Oh, be no iudge in other men’s offence, | 25 |
| But purge thyselfe and seek to make thee free: | |
| Let euerie one apply his diligence, | |
| A chaunge to good within himselfe to see. | |
| O God, direct our feete in such a stay, | |
| From canckred vice to shun the hatefull way. | 30 |
