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| THIS 1 Man of men did in his troubled spirit | |
| Into a streame of soft compassion melt | |
| His icye bloud, that frailty might inherit | |
| The sun of comfort, by the griefes he felt: | |
| Each drop of bloud he shed, he shed it then | 5 |
| To wash a severall sin from severall men. | |
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| Here saw he princes in the awfull throne | |
| Of eminencie, how wantonly they strove | |
| For thirst of glory, to protect alone | |
| Religious name, not for religious love; | 10 |
| Graceing the gracelesse, in whom grace was lost, | |
| Such parasites as knew to flatter most. | |
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| For those he sweated bloud, that they whom Heaven | |
| Created gods on earth, should so prophane, | |
| By courses indirect and lawes un-even, | 15 |
| Of will and sensuall lust, the law first drawne | |
| By that eternall royalty, who stood | |
| To watch their faults: for kings he sweated bloud. | |
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| Here saw he such who under those were plac’t | |
| In seates of greatnesse and commaundes of state, | 20 |
| How fond in their madnesse they did wast | |
| Their greatnesse in ambition and debate, | |
| Ayming not to support, but scorne the good, | |
| By unjust force: for such he sweated bloud. | |
| |
| Here saw he how in Moses’ chayre there raign’d | 25 |
| Scribes cloath’d in wool of lambes, and speaking well, | |
| But wolves in nature, so coruptly stayn’d, | |
| As if they were but messengers of hell; | |
| Abusing unlearn’d soules and Levit’s power, | |
| More ready then to cherrish, to devoure. | 30 |
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| Those whom the breath of God at first inspir’d | |
| To shine as lampes, and speake the heavenly sound | |
| With angels’ tongues, were silent, if not hir’d; | |
| More studying with the scriptures to compound | |
| Their own traditions; and for those, indeed, | 35 |
| In heavy droppes the sweat of Christ did bleed. | |
| |
| Here saw he lawyers soberly engoun’d, | |
| Wanting the robe of justice; not regarding | |
| The poor man’s right, nor where the case was sound, | |
| But giving judgment as he felt rewarding; | 40 |
| Whose tongue was bought against that side was weake, | |
| Most times as well to hold his peace as speake: | |
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| For them he sweated bloud. And here he saw | |
| Intrusted jurisdiction over-sway’d | |
| By partiall favour, above forme of law, | 45 |
| Cold conscience, by which conscience was betray’d; | |
| For those condemning, were condemn’d to much, | |
| As they condemn’d: he sweated bloud for such. | |
| |
| Here saw he souldiers, toyling in the heat | |
| Of cruelty, not measuring the right | 50 |
| Why they bore armes, but, to content the great | |
| And their own lawlesse hate, prepar’d to fight, | |
| For prey and spoyle adventuring to rent | |
| Their lives and soules: for those his bloud hee spent. | |
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| Heere saw he others that did keepe the sword | 55 |
| Of office and authority, in peace, | |
| Compacted in a knot, not to accord | |
| Or set at unity, strifes but increase; | |
| Wounding or sparing with a watchfull hand, | |
| As some superiour person should commaund. | 60 |
