Book IX, Chapter 54

A Wise man liuing like a Drone, an old-Man not deuout,
Youth disobedient, Rich-men that are Charitie without,
A shameles Woman, vitious Lords, a Poore-man proudly stout,
Contentious Christians, Pastors that their Function doe neglect,
A wicked King, no Discipline, no Lawes men to direct,
Are Twelue the foulest Faults that do all Common-wealths infect:
In most of all which Twelue erres not, or much in any one,
Our State, respecting this, of some, Lawes not abused none.

Our God-blest Queene, Palladium of our happie publique Weale,
For worth so farre beyond all words, we one only touch in zeale.
No Realme than ours hath wiser Lawes, for euery Right & Wrong:
Nor is through Meed, or Meanes, the Weake betraied to the Strōg,
Though of vn-Quaifed Iudges some is sung another song.
But who the Person, not the Cause, respecteth, hath forgot
The Creator of Persons, who and Iustice differ not.
A Councell watchfull for the State. Our Benches euery wheare
Supplide with Iudges learned, iust, and such as God doe feare.
Winke here and there at Auerice, Incharitie, and Pride,
And better Cleargie than is ours not Europe hath beside.
Say me, who can, whether Extreame hath harm'd Religion more,
That old of theirs too prodigall, or This of ours too poore?
Then Giuing gaue too slack a Raine, now-Gleaning curbs too sore.
By Slauerie and by Symonie now Church-Preferment comes:
Like Nabal and to Helies Sonnes get Church-men vp their crōmes.
Too much, too little, or a meane, sort out alike, we see,
House-keeping, nor Humilitie, in any of the Three.
Be hospitalious, Churchmen: Lay, cease sacrilegious sinne:
Your Soules-sore, but their Stores-salue, whence, euē whiningly, they winne,
By pinching from the Pulpet, and their Purses, with this note,
Scarse will their Studies stipend them, their wiues, and Children cote.
And verely it is a fault, and maimed Learnings Foe,
That Church-Possessions should amongst the Laye be shared so.
And verely it is a fault, if so the Cleargie liue,
As theirs to take be thought no Sinne, nor Meede to them giue.
Almightie euerlasting God, which only work'st great wonders,
Amend such Pastors, and vnite thy Flock that Sathan sunders.
No one thing quailes Religion more than foundring Presbytrie:
Each S[…]ot, impugning Order, saieth, and doth his Fantasie:
Our Booke of Common prayer, though most sound Diuinitie,
They will not reade, nor can they preach, yeat vp the Pulpet towre,
Thear making tedious Preachments, of no edifying powre.
O learned Seers, whose good liues and Doctrine doe agree,
(Not barren is our Land of such) heer-hence vn-meant are ye:
To you, in Reuerence and Reward, may nothing wanting be:
T'is only wisht your work from Dolts, your Hiues from Drones were free:
T'is wisht in These, in Fugitiues, in Papists, and (more bad,
Whom to perswade to reason, were with reason to be mad)
In Calophantick Puritaines, amisse amendment had.

THese Hypocrites for these three Gifts to their Lauerna pray,
Iust to be thought, all to beguile, That none their Guiles bewray:
Their Arte is fayning good they want, and hiding bad they haue:
Their Practise is selfe-praise, of praise all others to depraue.
On Loue, say some, waites Ielosie, but Ielosie wants loue,
When curiously it ouer-plus doth idle Quarrels moue.
Best Puritaines are so ore-zeal'd: But should I terme the rest?
Inhospitalious, Mutinous, and Hypocrites the best,
Insociable, Maleparte, foxing their priuate good,
Exiling hence wel-neere al Troth, meete Sports, & Neighbourhood,
Learnings Foes, contemptuously by them be Lawes withstood,
Self-pleasers, Skorners, Harlots, Drones, against the Haire in all:
Of their extreame, whence Atheisme breeds, be warning Hackets fall.
If euer England will in ought preuent her owne Mishap,
Against these Skommes (no terme too grosse) let England shut the gap
Their giddie heds gaue colour first that Spayne gainst Flaūders arm'd,
And thē their Coūtries Foes they helpt, & most their Coūtry harm'd.
If Hypocrites why Puritaines we terme, be ask't, in breefe,
T'is but an Ironized Tearme, good-Fellow so spells Theefe.
Well-working single-hearted Men in silence (such be some)
Will not apply, but saintish, not in Deede, but by the Dromme.
To Vnion that our stablisht Lawes for publike Prayer ties
Not all, is wondred, and offends obedient Eares and Eyes.
The rather, for knowne Humorists, Sots, noted Mal-Contents,
Here innouate: and each one to a diuers Sect conuents,
Too much irreu'rent, in, and to, the Church and Sacraments.
But leauing these, retier we to ill-drifting Rome and Spayne,
Whō doth our Queene, next vnder God, frō Europs Spoyle detayne.