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| THE LIFE 1 is long which lothsomely dooth last, | |
| The dolefull dayes draw slowly to their date; | |
| The present pangues, and painefull plagues forepast, | |
| Yeeldes greef aye greene, to stablish this estate: | |
| So that I feele in this great storme and strife | 5 |
| That death is sweet that shorteneth such a life. | |
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| And by the stroke of this strange ouerthrowe, | |
| At which conflict in thraldome I was thrust, | |
| The Lord be praised, I am well taught to knowe | |
| From whence man came, and eke wherto he must: | 10 |
| And by the way vpon how feeble force | |
| His terme doth stand, till death doth end his course. | |
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| The pleasant yeares that seemes so swiftly runne, | |
| The merrie daies to ende so fast that fleete, | |
| The ioyfull nightes of which dayes drawes so soone, | 15 |
| The happie howres which more doo misse than meete, | |
| Doo all consume as snow against the sunne, | |
| And death makes ende of all that life begunne. | |
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| Since death shall dure till all the worlds be waste, | |
| What meaneth man to dread death then so sore? | 20 |
| As man might make that life should alwaies last | |
| Without regarde, the Lord hath led before | |
| The daunce of death, which all must runne on row— | |
| The howre wherein, onely himselfe doth knowe. | |
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| If man would minde what burdens life doth bring; | 25 |
| What greeuous crimes to God he doth commit; | |
| What plagues, what pangues, what perill thereby spring, | |
| With no sure howre in all his daies to sit; | |
| He would sure thinke, as with great cause I doo, | |
| The day of death is happier of the two. | 30 |
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| Death is the doore whereby we draw to ioy; | |
| Life is the lack that drowneth all in paine; | |
| Death is so dole, it seaseth all annoy; | |
| Life is so lewd, that all it yeeldes is vaine: | |
| And as by life in bondage man is brought, | 35 |
| Euen so by death is freedome likewise wrought. | |
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| Wherefore with Paule let all men wish and pray | |
| To be dissolued of this foule fleshly masse; | |
| Or at the least be arm’d against the day, | |
| That they be found good soldiers; prest to passe | 40 |
| From life to death, from death to life againe, | |
| And such a life as euer shall remaine. | |
