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Period First.

What is in Heaven.

THERE is life without ony death,
And there is youth without ony eild;
And there is all manner wealth to weild:
And there is rest without ony travail ;
And there is peace without ony strife,
And there is all manner lyking of life :
And there is bright summer ever to see,
And there is never winter in that countrie:
And there is more worship and honour,
Than ever had king or emperor.

And there is great melodie of angels' song,
And there is praising them among:

And there is all manner friendship that may be,

And there is ever perfect love and charitie.
And there is wisdom without folly,
And there is honesty without villany.
All these a man may joys of Heaven call:
But yet the most sovereign joy of all
Is the sight of God's bright face,
In whom resteth all manner grace.

ROLLE.

A

The Good Man of Religion.

A TRUE good man there was there of Religion,
Pious and
poor-the parson of a town.

But rich he was in holy thought and work;
And thereto a right learned man; a clerk
That Christ's pure gospel would sincerely preach,
And his parishioners devoutly teach.

Benign he was, and wondrous diligent,

And in adversity full patient,

As proven oft; to all who lacked, a friend.

Wide was his cure ; the houses far asunder;
Yet never failed he, or for wind or thunder,
Wherever sickness or mischance might call,
The most remote to visit, great or small,
And, staff in hand, on foot, the storm to brave.
This noble ensample to his flock he gave-
That first he wrought, and afterward he taught.
The word of life he from the Gospel caught,
And well this comment added he thereto—
If that gold rusteth, what should iron do?

Though holy in himself, and virtuous,
He still to sinful men was mild and piteous:
Not of reproach imperious or malign,
But in his teaching soothing and benign.
To draw them on to heaven by reason fair,
And good example, was his daily care.

He waited not on pomp or reverence,
Nor made himself a spiced conscience.
The lore of Christ and his Apostles twelve
He taught; but first he followed it himself.

CHAUCER.

Adversitie.

If it befall that God thee list visite
With any torment or adversitie,

Thank first the Lorde, and then thyself to quite
Upon sufferance and humilite

Found thou thy quaril, what ere that it be. Make thy defence, and thou shalt have no losse, The remembrance of Christ and of His crosse.

CHAUCER.

Daisies and Sorrow.

THESE flowers white and red,

Such as men callen daisies in our town;
To them have I so great affection,
As I said erst, when comen is the May,
That in my bed there daweth me no day,
That I n'am up and walking in the mead
To see this flow'r against the sunné spread,
When it upriseth early by the morrow;
That blissful sight softeneth all my sorrow;
So glad am I when that I have presénce
Of it, to doen it all reverence.

Caged Birds.

WHERE birds are fed in cages,

CHAUCER.

Though you should day and night tend them like pages,
And strew the bird's room fair and soft as silk,

And give him sugar, honey, bread, and milk;
Yet had the bird, by twenty-thousand fold,
Rather be in a forest wild and cold;

And right anon, let but his door be up,
And with his feet he spurneth down his cup,
And to the wood will be and feed on worms.
In that new college keepeth he his terms,
And learneth love of his own proper
kind:
No gentleness of home his heart may bind.

CHAUCER.

Dutiful Lobe.

In this world no service is so good
For every wight that gentle is of kind,

For thereof comes all goodness and all worth ;
All gentleness and honour thence come forth;
Thence worship comes, content, and true heart's plea-

sure,

And full-assured trust, joy without measure,

And jollity, fresh cheerfulness, and mirth;
And bounty, lowliness, and courtesy,
And seemliness and faithful company,

And dread of shame that will not do amiss.

CHAUCER.

The Abbey Walk.

ALONE as I went up and down
In an abbey was fair to see,
Thinking what consolation
Was best unto adversity;

By chance I cast on side mine eye,
And saw this written upon a wall :
"Of what estate, man, that thou be,
Obey, and thank thy God for all!"

Thy kingdom, and thy great empire,
Thy royalty, and rich array,
Shall nought endure at thy desire,
But, as the wind, will wend away.
Thy gold, and all thy goodis gay,
When fortune list, will from thee fall :
Since thou such samples see each day,
Obey, and thank thy God for all!

This changing, and great variance
Of earthly statis, up and down,
Is not mere casualty and chance,
(As some men say without reason),
But by the great provision

Of God above, that rule thee shall!
Therefore, ever thou make thee bound
To obey, and thank thy God for all !

HENRYSOUN.

The Best Estate.

BLESSED be simple life, withouten dreid;
Blessed be sober feast in quieté ;

Who has enough, of no more has he need,

Though it be little into quantity.

Great abundance, and blind prosperity,

Ofttimës make an evil conclusion;

The sweetest life, therefore, in this country, Is of security, with small possession.

HENRYSOUN.

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