To the Tennant howsoeuer

What state soeuer thou art seazed on,
Or in what Tenure thou dost hold vpon,
Il'e now addresse my speech in briefe to thee,
Wherein I ayme in part to comfort thee,
In part to rectifie what may seeme ill,
In thy peruerse and vn-conformed will;
That in them both for th'loue which I doe owe,
To him thou represents, I may so show,
That deere affection which we're bound to beare,
To one another while we soiourne heere,
As when an end of all our sorrowes are
Reduc'd to one set period, and our care
Shall haue a finall end, what I haue done,
" In loue may be approu'd when I am gone.
To moue thee vnto comfort, in a word,
I'le vse th'perswasion which I gaue thy Lord,
To humble his ambicious spirit, when
I told him of the different state of Men,
How in the eyes of men indeed they were
Esteemed great, but when they should appeare,
Before that high Tribunall, where all should,
(Though if they might auoid it, many would,)
Make their appearance, then the great should know,
They were no more respected then the low:
One aduocate, one Iudge, one barre one triall,
Conscience the onely difference, when Deniall,
Seald with abite, or th'accursed doome,
Or th'inuitation with Venite come,
Shall in that generall iudgement there expresse,
Or weale, or woe, or hell, or happinesse:
" So as when all are summon'd fore that seat,
It's better to be good, then to be great.
For then, as well it may be vnderstood,
They onely shall be great that are found good.
But thou wilt aske, is there no comfort else?
Yes that there is, thy daily labour tells,
There's a reward of glory that's reseru'd,
For such as haue their Maister duely seru'd,
In their vocation: there's a penny too,
Which though it be not giuen vnto thee now,
Yet be assur'd, (for he that spoke't is true)
" When th'euening comes, thou shalt receiue thy due.
And though thou seeme a little while to stay,
Doe not repine, it's th'euening crownes the day.
Wouldst know what I by th'Euening doe intend?
I meane the sun-set of thy life or end
Of all thy pilgrime daies, which though they bee,
A very death, or Martyrdome to thee,
(So little ioy conceau's thou vpon earth,)
Yet wil thy Comicke end include thy mirth,
When from this Vale of labour and of care,
Thou shalt vnto a mount of ioy repaire.
When from this floting Sea, this fading cell,
Thou shalt depart, and with thy Sauiour dwell.
Yea on thy death-bed thou art comforted,
Thinking how truly thou hast laboured.
How many carefull nights thou hast orepast,
Without the least of rest, how thy repast,
Was not delighfull feeding with excesse,
But th' bread thou eate was mixt with carefulnesse
Noe houre without affliction or some griefe,
And now to finde to all thy woes reliefe
It may no little solace the, when th'end
Of discontents shall bring thee to a friend
That will in armes of charitie receiue thee,
Where beeing lodg'd, no woe, no want can grieue thee.
Happy translation, and by so much more,
In that those Lordings which triumph'd before,
And plaid vpon thy weakenesse, now shall stand,
To th' doome which those oppressors of the land
Are subiect to: tell me (poore wormeling) then,
What difference there will bee twixt thee and them?
Great were they heere indeed, and did resemble,
Those Bulls of Basan, yet see how they tremble,
How quicke their powerfull greatnesse is made small,
For little is their pompe, or none at all:
See, see these Cedars now are strucke with thunder,
And thogh they once sate high, their now broght vnder
Those glorious titles which gaue wings to pride,
Those gorgeous buildings made them deifide.
Those many state-attendants, more or lesse,
Like Sommer-Swallows following their successe.
Are vanish't, ruin'd, and dispersed quite,
Ther's none of these can come into their sight,
Yea which is worse in-steed of Eminence;
There is an enemy called Conscience,
That still disturbs their quiet and their rest:
Which if at peace there were continuall feast.
But that's impossible, such meanes as these;
Haue in themselues a thousand Witnesses,
And these poore snakes cause they did heere contemn them,
Shall with their Conscience stand there to condemne thē,
Where that same place, they are appointed to
Shall Tophet be, their word, yee cursed goe.
Thou seest then no difference doth appeare,
Twixt thou and them saue onely when you're heere
A little garish vanity there is,
Which doth include that happinesse of his,
Who seemes so popular, yet thou shalt see,
From thence is drawne his greatest miserie.
For (tell me) doth no that externall state,
Make him forget whereto he was create
Doth't not be ull his soule in sinnes delights,
(Not knowing how the flesh gainst spirit fights,)
Whereby he comes, which is the worst of all,
To bring his reason to his senses thrall.
Yea I haue heard of many great mens end,
So full of feare and horrour as God send
Me lesse delights on earth, so I may haue,
A quiet easie passage to my graue.
" For reason doth informe me, rare it is,
That earths delight should bring a man to blisse
More could I speake to comfort thy distresse,
And more I was determinde, I confesse,
To insist on thy affliction, but I found,
By my Experience this especiall ground,
Held euer firme when we doe comforts tutch,
Such is mans nature he will take too much,
Rather then too too little, yea its sed;
More haue through store of comforts surfeted,
The such as from all outward solace pnt,
Haue famisht been through inward discontent.
With Gedeons souldier therefore prest I am,
Rather to lap, and like a Ionathan,
To tutch the hony onely with my rod,
Then on this subiect make too long aboad.
Which that I may, from comfort Ile descend,
To faults in the which I would gladly mend.
That God commands from whō proceeds all power,
" Let each be subiect to's Superiour.
For it would breed confusion in the Land,
If people did admit of no commaund.
But like a Platoes Common-wealth, should be,
Subiect to none, but in equalitie.
Therefore that Lord, who of his grace doth loue vs,
Hath ranked some below vs, some aboue vs.
Aboue vs that we might be caution'd thence,
To shew vnto them due obedience.
Below vs, that we might thereby expresse,
To them our loue, to God our thankefulnesse,
Our loue, that we might our affection show,
In loue to them that ranked are so low.
Our thankefulnesse, that we should more receiue,
Then other some, that more deserued haue.
Againe, aboue vs, to acknowledge here,
Without that power aboue, how weake we are.
Below vs, that if we vnhappy Elues,
Should grudge to see som greater then our selues,
By seeing these wee might suppose they're sent,
By their degree to bid vs be content,
In this same decent comly order then
Of high and low, great and inferiour men,
Thou ranked art, nor richest, nor most pore,
For thou seest many goe from dore to dore,
Whose scrips their store, whose wallet is their wealth,
Whose staffe's their stay, whose treasure is their health.
Now in thy ranke there's many things I wish
Thou wouldst reforme, which I doe see amisse.
" As first for all thy pouerty and want,
Thou hast a disposition arrogant:
Rash, heady-selfe-wild, prouder then thy state
Can well beare out, extreamely obstinate,
Foolishly peremptory, saucy with all,
Besides I see in thee (I must tell all)
A factious wauering nature, apt to rise
Through discontent, in any enterprise.
A very Iack Straw, or a custome ase,
Alleadging such records as neuer was.
A pest' lent member to the Kingdomes quiet,
Prone to diuision, enmity and riot,
Sower of discord, selfe-conceitedly
Wise, yet I cannot wel imagine why.
Yea, I haue seene, some of thy crew to gather,
Like wild-geese for the wagging of a feather,
Making strange combinations, which did tend,
Still to their owne subuersion in the end.
Some Terme agoe on one I chanct to light,
Was come to towne to trie his tenant-right,
With whom discoursing, he impart'd to me,
Mongst other things how most iniuriously
He and the rest which held one tenure there,
About their state or title troubled were,
And therewithall alleadgd that he could show,
Customes and discords (so he said) enough,
And that from Noahs indignation, when
Of all the world there were but left 8 men;
No, this is true, quoth he, I will assure yee,
Without delayer pannelled a Iurie:
Where those 12. men (the number scarse holds right)
Rising to 12, that were before but eight,
Found that our ancestry did hold in pottage,
Now I imagine he did meane in Soccage,
Which to make sure, this Custom speakes for vs,
And he with that draws forth a Mittimus.
This I may sweare, more then a sennet after,
I could not thinke on, but was forc't to laughter.
But now to thee, for I haue done thee wrong,
To keepe me from discourse with thee so long,
Whom I resolu'd to haue aduertised,
Of these precedent errors mentioned;
" Conforme thy will vnto thy Lords commaund
In fitting things, thou liu'st vpon his land.
And art his liedge-man, therfore thou shouldst sho
Thy selfe to him, as thou thy selfe doest owe.
Vnto the Heyre to, a respect is due,
For time may come when he shall pleasure you.
Yet meane I not that thou shouldst pay a Fine,
Vnto the heire now in his Fathers time,
" For if I were an heire as I am not,
" Believe it I would thinke that fine ill got.
What I doe wish to the is briefely this,
Successe in thy estate, as thou wouldst wish,
Conformed so vnto thy Lands Lordheire,
That with heauens Landlord thou may liue elsewher