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| BEFORE 1 the world I here recant my life; | |
| I doe renounce both lingering loue and lust; | |
| My wanton will, with wisdome once at strife, | |
| Hath lost the fielde, the type of fansie’s trust. | |
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| My sugred toung, bepoudred all with teares, | 5 |
| To chase mistrust from my sweet maistresse’ mynde, | |
| With simple speach from humble sprite now weares | |
| That fauour I with my sweet Christe may finde. | |
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| My scattered sighes, which I on earth did strowe, | |
| I gather vp, and sende them to the starres, | 10 |
| As messengers of my lamenting woe, | |
| Twixt sine and soule: so mortall is the warres. | |
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| Sith I repent, no shame it is to wray | |
| My former life; how farre from grace it sweru’d; | |
| Although from truth I, silly sheepe, did stray; | 15 |
| As good men God, so I my goddesse seru’d. * * * * * * | |
| Thus I, vile wretche, led on by wanton lust, | |
| A triumphe made within my wicked thought, | |
| How I by hap the harmelesse threw to dust, | |
| Ere I escapt, or had the mischiefe wrought. | 20 |
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| But oh, sweete Christ, thy grace this folly stay’d; | |
| Thou cleardst my sight which mistes of loue did bleare: | |
| Vnto whose praise my conscience hath bewrayd | |
| My former life, deuoyde of godly feare. | |
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| Thou crau’st, good Lord, no other aduocate, | 25 |
| But prayer mine, to purchase heauenly grace; | |
| The which thou sayst doth neuer come too late, | |
| If I repent, when prayer pleades my case. | |
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| A contrite heart is the sweet sacrifice | |
| That thou dost seeke, ere we thy fauour winne; | 30 |
| The which, deare God, with sighes and weeping eyes | |
| I offer vp in recompence of sinne: | |
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| Attending still when triall of my fayth | |
| Shall treade downe death, and Sathan force to reele; | |
| And boldly say, Till latter gaspe of breath, | 35 |
| My soule, through faith, the ioyes of heauen doth feele. | |
