XII. William Hunnis. God's Covenant with Noah. Edward Farr, ed. 1845. Select Poetry, Chiefly Devotional, of the Reign of Queen Elizabeth

Edward Farr, ed. Select Poetry of the Reign of Queen Elizabeth. 1845.

God’s Covenant with Noah

XII. William Hunnis


TO Noah and his sonnes with him
God spake, and thus sayd he:—
A cou’nant set I vp with you
And your posterity;

And with eche liuing creature els	5
That from the flood was free,
Both foule and beast and cattel all,
And what so ere it be,

Upon the earth that was with them,
And from the arke did passe,	10
According eu’ry lyuing thinge,
As then my pleasure was.

This is the cou’naunt that I make,
From henceforth neuermore
Whill I agayne the worlde destroye	15
With water, as before.

And of my cou’naunt this shall be
The sygne and token sure,
Twene me and you and all the world
For euer to indure.	20

My bowe in cloud I haue there set,
That when a clowde shall falle,
This bowe therein shall then be seene
Of liuing creatures all.

And I wil not vnmyndful be	25
Of this my cou’naunt past
Twixt me and you and euery flesh,
Whyles that the worlde shall last;

But stil will thinke vpon the same,
And loke vpon the bowe,	30
The token, signe, and seale most sure
Of couenaunt that I showe.