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| OH, the sweete sence of loue’s humilitie, | |
| Which feares displeasure in a deerest friend; | |
| The only note of true nobilitie, | |
| Whose worthy grace is graced without end; | |
| While faythfull loue, in humble truth approued, | 5 |
| Doth euer liue, of God and man beloued. | |
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| Her grace is gratious in the sight of God; | |
| Makes men as saincts, and women angells seeme; | |
| Makes sinne forgotten; mercy vse no rodd; | |
| And constant fayth to growe in great esteeme; | 10 |
| And is, in summe, a blessing of the highest, | |
| And to the nature of himselfe the nighest. | |
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| It maketh beawty like the sunne to shine, | |
| As if on earth there were a heau’nly light: | |
| It maketh witt in wisedome so diuine, | 15 |
| As if the eie had a celestiall sight: | |
| It is a guide vnto that heauen of rest, | |
| Where blessed soules doe liue for euer blest. | |
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| In Christ it is a grace of worthy glory; | |
| In man, from God a guift of speciall grace; | 20 |
| While in the state of vertues, honor’s story, | |
| Wisedome doth find itt in perfection’s place; | |
| And plac’t so high in the Allmightie’s loue, | |
| As nothing more can mercie’s comfort proue. | |
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| It makes the eie looke down into the harte; | 25 |
| The harte obedient vnto witt and sence; | |
| And euery limme to play a seruant’s parte, | |
| Vnto the will of witt’s præheminence: | |
| It brings the minde vnto the body soe, | |
| That one the other cannott ouergoe. | 30 |
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| It is the death of pride, and patience loue; | |
| Passion’s phisition; reason’s councellour; | |
| Religion’s darling; labour’s turtle-doue; | |
| Learning’s instructer; grace’s register; | |
| Time’s best attendant, and truthe’s best explainer; | 35 |
| Vertue’s best louer, and loue’s truest gainer. | |
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| It is the prince’s grace; the subiect’s duety; | |
| The scholar’s lesson, and the soldier’s line; | |
| The courtier’s creditt, and the ladies’ beawty; | |
| The lawier’s vertue; and the loue diuine, | 40 |
| That makes all sences gratious in his sight, | |
| Where all true graces haue theyr glorious light. | |
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| Itt makes the harte fitt for all good impression; | |
| Itt doth prepare the spirit for perfection; | |
| Itt brings the sowle vnto her sinnes’ confession; | 45 |
| Itt helpes to cleere the body from infection: | |
| Itt is the meane to bring the minde to rest, | |
| Where harte, sowle, body, minde, and all, are blest. | |
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| Itt made the mother of the Soonne of God | |
| Gratious in him, who made her full of grace; | 50 |
| And on her Sonne itt blessedly abode, | |
| In bearing all the filthy world’s deface; | |
| And in his seruants, for theyr Master’s loue, | |
| Did fayth’s affections in theyr passions proue. | |
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| It saued Abraham’s sonne from sacrifice, | 55 |
| When Isaack’s death was quitted by the rame; | |
| Itt saued Noah and his progenies, | |
| When on the earth destruction’s deluge came; | |
| Itt saued Lott from hurt of Sodom’s fire, | |
| And Israell from cruel Pharaoh’s ire. | 60 |
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| Itt wrought in Dauid gratious penitence; | |
| In Ninivie a sweete submission; | |
| In Job a famous blessed patience; | |
| In Pawle assurance of his sinnes’ remission; | |
| In John the habitt of a holy loue; | 65 |
| In Christ the grace that did all glory proue. | |
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| Itt euer holds the hand of faythfulnes; | |
| And ever keeps the minde of godlynes; | |
| And euer brings the harte to quietnes; | |
| And euer leads the soule to happines; | 70 |
| And is a vertue of that blessednes, | |
| That merits praise in highest worthines. | |
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| Oh, how it gaynes the child the parent’s loue, | |
| The wife her husband’s, and the seruants master’s; | |
| Where humble fayth in happie hope’s behoue | 75 |
| Finds patience, care discomfort’s healing plasters, | |
| And truest course of care’s tranquilitie | |
| Only to rest butt in humility. | |
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| And since that in the life of humble loue | |
| I see the waye vnto the well of blisse, | 80 |
| Where patience doth in all perfection proue, | |
| Where the high blessing of all blessing is; | |
| Let my sowle pray that I may humbly sing | |
| The heauenly prayses of my holy Kinge. | |
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