A Godly Psalme, of Marye Queene, which brought vs comfort al, Through God, whom wee of dewtye prayse, that giues her foes a fal.
By Rychard Beeard.
Anno domini. 1553.
¶ Imprinted at London in Fleetestrete, at the sygne of the Faucon against saint Donstons Church by Wylliam Griffith: and are to be solde at his shoppe a lytle aboue the Conduit.
Medius,
[...]Al England now bee glad at ones w t one heart mynde, and voyce: for now haue wee the greatest cause to syng & eke reioyce to syng & eke reioyce.
Contratenor.
[...]Al England now bee glad at ones, with one heart mynde & voice: For now haue wee y e greatest cause the greatest cause to syng and eke reioyce.
Tenor.
[...]Al England now bee glad at ones, with one heart mynde and voice: for now haue wee the greatest cause the greatest cause to syng and eke reioyce to syng & eke reioyce.
Bassus.
[...]Al England now bee glad at ones w t one heart mynde & voyce: for now haue wee the greatest cause the greatest cause to syng and eke reioyce to syng and eke reioyce.
1
AL England now bee glad at ones,
With one heart mynde and voyce:
For now haue wee y
e greatest cause
To sing and eke reioyce.
2
For God hath brought his seruaunts trew
From troubles sore and great,
Put downe the proude, & hathe the meeke
In theyr iust places set.
3
¶ The Lord hathe turnd his wrath and ire,
From vs, out of hys mynde:
Beeholding vs with countenaunce
Moast louing sweete and kynde.
4
☞ That God which might haue rightwisely,
Destroyde vs euery one,
Hathe shewd him self moast mercyful,
To healp vs al alone.
5
☞ He hathe regarded equitie,
Treuth, iustice, law, and right:
And ouerthrowne and vanquisshed
The wrongful dealers might.
6
¶ Wee looked al for pestilence
And vengeaunce at his hand,
And eke innumerable plagues
To come vpon the land:
7
¶ But nowe hathe hee sent downe his grace
And mercy from aboue,
And shewed vs vndoubtedly
A token of his loue.
8
¶ Wee haue ful iustly looked heeare
For death and ruines rife.
And now doo wee beehold and trust
A good and ioyful lyfe.
9
¶ Yea, wee that weare moast sorowful,
Without a spreet or heart:
Within a quarter of an houre
Did quicken and reuert.
10
¶ Wee which weare brought by seruitude,
Vntrewth and wronge tobey:
Do trewth and iustice execute,
And put that wrong away.
11
¶ Wee for our owne great variaunce
Did forayne straungers feare,
Lest they throughe oure discension heare
Might rule among vs beare:
12
¶ But now wee shal with vnytie
Bee able to withstand,
And vanquish al our enemies,
And driue such from oure land.
13
¶ Oure kyngdome which deuyded so
Could neuer long abyde:
shall now in vnitie bee kept,
And treason bee espide.
14
¶ And wee that onely looked for
Gods vengeaunce to vs bent:
Haue now his greatest benefyte
Whiche hee to vs hathe sent.
15
¶ Hee doothe beehold vs meryli,
And wil continew styl,
Yf wee as seruauntes to his trewth,
Obey vnto his wyl.
16
¶ Hee saw that wickednesse arose,
And bare his trewth despite:
And now wil hee out of the land
Destroy the workers quite.
17
¶ When tyme that none durst speake for trewth,
Then hee him selfe, so good
Hathe stepped foorth, and opend al,
Tauenge the gyltlesse bloude.
18
¶ He setteth and establyssheth
His seruauntes in their right:
And ouerthrowes the wicked sort,
For al theyr strength and might.
19
¶ It is not armoure, harneyse bright,
Nor any weapon strong,
The strength that to the handes of men,
Or hoorses dothe belong:
02
¶ Nor any power on the earth
That can preuayle or stand,
But onely God the Lord him self
Wil haue the vpperhand.
21
¶ What can a fortresse, castel strong,
Or bulwarke els preuayle:
Against the Lorde that maketh al?
In neede theese thinges wyl fayle.
22
¶ The lord beeholdes the hearts and myndes
Of godly men ful playne,
Whiche onely seeke that ryghtwysenesse
And equitie may raygne.
23
¶ How wondersly doothe God with vs
His people England deale?
Suche ioy as wee scarce looked for
Among vs to reueale.
24
¶ Hee healps y
e captiues out of prison,
Breakes the walles of stone:
And riddes his chosen from the death,
And peryls euery one.
25
Oure comfort is come neare, and eke
Oure prayer heard, I trust:
Of God which in the heauen dwelles,
And fyghteth for the iust.
26
¶ For hee hathe set and stablysshed,
Oure worthy soueraygne:
And oure liege Lady, Marie Queene,
On vs by trewth to raygne.
27
¶ Hee hathe vs sent a comforter,
To bee oure healp and guyde:
With pitie and with vertues al
Endewd on euery syde.
28
¶ The lawful, iust, and rightuouse,
Of England, head, and Queene:
To bee the true enheritoure,
As hathe her brother beene.
29
Not clayming by collusion,
Nor cloking it by sleyght:
But by her byrth, descending from
Her godly father streight.
30
¶ She beeing eldest sister right
Vnto oure soueraigne Lord,
Kynge Edward late the syxt by name,
Whose strength was gods trew word.
31
For which moast godly impe & bud
Of Iessees stocke and roote,
Thoughe wee haue almoost cause to sighe,
And sorow bee oure boote:
[...]
[...]Yet are wee comforted agayne,
Lyft vp, and eke erect:
[...]ycause the Lord hathe placed thus
His chosen and elect.
[...]
¶ Whiche beeing oure moast godly Queene,
That seekes our preseruaciō:
No doubt wil strongly buyld vpon
Her brothers good fondacion.
34
¶ The ground worke hee hathe layde him selfe,
And shee is left a lon,
To buyld the house, and fortresse vp
Of trew religion.
35
¶ O England now continew styl,
In myrth and ioy therfore:
For God wyl strengthen day by day
Your gladnesse more and more.
36
Our soueraygne & rightioyse Queene
Wyl vyce and syn depresse:
Wyl cheafly loue the churche of God,
And punysh wickednesse.
37
The Lord almighty graunte that shee
May prospere to succeede:
To haue on vs moast quiet raygne,
And healp her in her neede.
38
The Lorde destroy her enemyes,
And make her foes bewrayde:
To bee soone catched in the snare,
That they for her haue layde.
39
Defend her, Lord, and eke al those,
That beare to her good heart:
And graunte that from thy holy word,
She neuer swarue ne start.
40
Then doubtlesse al, bothe old & yong
Shal prayse thy name for euer:
And sing in Psalmes to thee on earth,
Which doost forsake vs neuer.
41
Lord saue our Queene moast graciouse
From euel and from feare:
The Lady eke Elizabeth,
Her godly sister deare.
42
Lord God preserue the noble men,
From daungers il and crime:
And send vs peace and quietnesse,
In this same later tyme.
43
Al glory bee to God therfore,
The father and the sone:
And also to the holy ghost,
In deitye but one.
44
As it hathe been from al beginninges
Vnto this beefore:
As now it is, and from this tyme,
Shalbee for euermore.
¶ A godly Psalme in meetre
Psal. 145.
1
O Prayse the Lord (my soule and spreete)
So wyl I whyle I liue,
Yea, sure as long as I remayne,
I wil him prayses giue.
2
Which healpeth them vnto their right,
That byde and suffre wrong,
That feedeth eke the hongry men,
And those that thirsted long.
3
The Lord from prison loseth men,
And giues the blynde their syght
The Lord doothe healp them vp that fal,
And loueth wel the right.
4
He cares for straungers, widowes hee
Defendes and fatherlesse:
And ouerturnes the wayes of al
That worke vngodlynesse.
Psal. 146.
5
The Lord settes vp and lifteth those
That meeke in heart are founde:
And bringeth downe thungodly men
From highe vnto the grounde.
6
The legges of men delite him not,
Nor any horses strength
But those that feare him, and doo trust
To haue his grace at length.
Psal. 148.
7
O prayse the Lord yee kinges & people
Dwelling on the earth:
Yee Princes and yee iudges al,
Reioyce at ones for myrth.
8
Yong men and maydes, you aged men,
And children beeing yong,
Exalt his name, and also let
His praises bee your song.
FINIS.
By Thomas Bownell.