| |
| DO 1 tyrauntes teache their people’s heartes | |
| To folowe pitie’s trade? | |
| Or is it seene that wyttie lawes | |
| Of foolyshe men be made? | |
| |
| Or can a drunkarde grauely yeelde | 5 |
| An aunswere to the wyse? | |
| Or may a foole in wayghtie thynges | |
| Declare a good deuyse? | |
| |
| As they, euen so lyke power haue you | |
| Good order for to plant | 10 |
| In commonwealth; when as your wyttes | |
| And workes all order want. | |
| |
| You also earnestly pretende, | |
| As with religious face, | |
| To roote out scismes, and error voyde, | 15 |
| And set the trueth in place. | |
| |
| Yet, venimous deceauers, least | |
| You mynde the same intent, | |
| But make religion for a cloke | |
| To couer that is ment; | 20 |
| |
| And under subtyll clause contayne | |
| A venimous deuyse; | |
| As eche may see, who marketh howe | |
| Your cauels do aryse. | |
| |
| For though you stoode in mayntenaunce | 25 |
| Of trueth, as you not so, | |
| But in such false opinion erre | |
| As is to trueth a foe; | |
| |
| Yet ought you not agaynst your prince | |
| A weapon for to beare; | 30 |
| Synce that the perfect loue of God | |
| Consysteth in the feare | |
| |
| Of Hym, an in the duetie done | |
| Unto the ruling throne | |
| Of earthly magistrates, whereto | 35 |
| The scriptures bynde eche one. | |
| |
| But you rebellious, voyde of grace, | |
| As not in your defence, | |
| Through any cause compellyng you, | |
| Deuise a vayne pretence: | 40 |
| |
| But make a quarrell, and aryse | |
| Agaynst your prince’s myght, | |
| Whose state you seeme for to disdayne, | |
| And dealynges to dispyght. | |
| |
| Oh blynded you! and do you deme | 45 |
| That of a godly sonne, | |
| Who sees his father do amyss, | |
| It were a thyng well done, | |
| |
| That he his father shoulde correct | |
| Or punyshe? no, you knowe: | 50 |
| Much lesse likewise shoulde you presume | |
| Lyke rygour for to showe | |
| |
| Agaynst your princesse, who would guyde | |
| Your footsteppes to the lyght; | |
| But, wylfull subiectes, you despyse | 55 |
| The day, and loue the nyght. | |
| |
| And further, though the wicked syer | |
| Shoulde seeme for to prouoke | |
| His well-disposed sonne to yll, | |
| Through force of strype or stroke; | 60 |
| |
| Thynke you the chylde in his defence | |
| May offer strype agayne? | |
| No, no; his bounden duetie is | |
| For to forbeare the payne. | |
| |
| And in lyke case the subiectes ought | 65 |
| Their soueraigne to obey, | |
| As to forbeare, and not reuenge, | |
| Though in their power they may. | |
| |
| For as the chylde by nature is | |
| Unto the father bounde; | 70 |
| And as it is the father’s ryght | |
| Of sonne to be renownde; | |
| |
| So lykewyse are the subiectes thrall | |
| Unto their princes’ wyll, | |
| By perfect duetie to obay, | 75 |
| Forbeare, and honor styll. | |
