The canticles or balades of Salomon, phraselyke declared in Englysh metres, by William Baldwin

¶TO THE MOST GODLY KING ED∣warde❧ the sixte, by the grace of God King of Englande, Fraunce, and Ireland, defender of the sayth. &c. Willm̄ Baldwin prayeth God to graunt all thinges that are necessary. ¶Loue and Liue.

SENECA that good Philosopher among ma∣ny his piththy morall preceptes, hath sum of ge∣uinge giftes, that all thinges of all men mighte aptly be applyed. Among whiche whan he hath declared to whome, and howe all gyftes are to be geuen, and with what affeccion receyued, he willeth that mete thinges be not vnmetely geuen, as armoure to women, nettes to studentes, nor bokes to plowmen, but that all gif∣tes be helpfull, or at leastwise aunswerable to his trade of lyfe and estate, that they be geuen vnto. Whose counsayle (moste honorable and vertuous Prince) whan I had well wayed, and allowed, I thought none so mete as your grace to whome I might aptly dedicate this presente volume, con∣sidering your earnest zeale to knowlege of truth, & diligent endeuor to auaunce the same, with other your many toward¦ly vertues and giftes of grace: in praise of whiche, yf Lamu∣ell had not ben forbidden to geue Princes wyne (and suerly no wyne is so stronge, or taketh awaye mans reason or sen∣ces so soone as pryde, & vayn glory cōceyued of earblowing) I would here haue taryed. But sith your maiestie knoweth them already, partly by other mens true declaracion, but chiefly by your owne feling, (For euery man best knoweth hym selfe) I haue here let slip my iust occasion: beseching the euerliuyng God, who hath the hartes of rulers in his hand so to gyde yours, that ye may alwayes continue the same, that ye are thought and praysed for already

Sum perchaunce yet wyll thinke that a booke of suche an Argument, namely of the holy Scripture, and that suche a parte of scripture as (yf comparyson may be made in the ho∣ly gostes wrytinges) passeth all the reste of the same kynde, and therefore called Cantica canticorum, The Balades of Balades, that is to saye the principall balades of holy scrip∣ture according to Origens opinion (in Erasmus iudgement the beste skylled of all the doctours in vnderstanding the ho∣ly scriptures) is muche vnmete for any seculer person, & wyl

say that I haue not folowed Seneca his counsel, in geuyng that to a temporal Prince, whiche wer more mete for a spiri∣tual Prelate. If any thus thinke arrogantlye, disdaynyng that lay men should meddle with the scriptures, to suche I answer: Arrogant obstinacie deserueth no answer. But yf a∣ny so thinke for lacke of better knowlege, I wyl satisfy them with Erasmus his argumentes, whiche they shall fynde in his preface to the Emperour, before his Paraphrase of saint Matthew: whervnto I adde this, that as it is vnmete for a Prince to be ignoraunt in that whiche he defendeth, so is it most vnmete for a Supreme head to be vnskylled in y^e, wher∣in it is his office to see his subiectes instructed. For your ma∣iestie are not only king ouer vs your English people, but also the Supreme head of our whole Church and congregacion. And to whome could a matter betwene Christ & his church be more iustly geuen, than to hym, whiche on the one syde is a deputie, and on the other the chyef and principall?

Sum thus satisfied in the aptly applying of my gyft, may chaunce to doubt in a greater matter, that is: whether one man may haue at once two contrary offices, a spirituall and a temporall: and that of so great and wayghty charge, that one alone would cumber two diligent officers. I wyl not ta∣ry in thexamining euery part of this doubt, but for a ful an∣swer to the whole, this I saye: I reade of no men, so muche praysed of men, or better rewarded of God for executing a∣ny one office alone, as I doe of men y^t haue at once had both.

Of whome to let passe Mercurius Trismegystus (so cal∣led because he had both the office of kyng and priest, and the spirite of prophecie to boote) whose glory darkneth all the Egypcian rulers that we read of: the scriptures make men∣cion of diuers.* 1.1 Fyrste of Melchisedech Kyng of Salem, of an vnknowen genealogie, who was priest of the highest god before God had ordeyned any of those offices. But whether he wer fyrst kyng, and beyng in that state, made prieste, it is not certayne, yet by the placyng of the wurdes it should seme it was so: Once we are sure that yf kingdomes went by suc∣cession than as they do nowe, he was borne a kyng, and so a prince before he wer prelate: except the priesthode went also by succession, ioyned with the kyngdome, as I thynke it did. But because he was before the law, we wyll cum nerer. And then to let go Moses the brynger of Gods law & religion, a

ryght paterne of a Christen kyng,* 1.2 Samuel was at once chief priest and Iudge in Israel. Though it wer before they had a kyng, yet had the Iudge that than whiche after becam the kynges office. And how muche it was agaynst Gods plesure to haue that sundered, which was before but one, besyde his answer to Samuel,* 1.3 the succes of wycked kynges and wurse priestes which ioyed theyr seueral offices, can testify: which cam bothe at last to vtter destruccion, the people beyng lefte captiue vnder the bluddy sweard of the tiran Antiochus,* 1.4 tyl it pleased God to delyuer them, by bryngyng that agayne to one, whiche they by theyr folishnes had deuided in twayne. For they neuer enioyed any peace,* 1.5 tyl they had geuen to Si∣mon and to his posteritie for euer, for ouercummyng theyr e∣nemies, and restoryng theyr religion, and for many other be∣nefites, the honor both of hygh priest and kyng ouer them. After the death of whome (the vertues of his lyfe are decla∣red in the bookes of Machabees) his sonne Iohn (as wit∣nesseth Iosephus) otherwise called Hyrcanus,* 1.6 succeded in his fathers place. A man of suche wit in war, suche prudence in peace, and holines in religion, that besides the great pray¦ses of Iosephus, & his fathers honors, he deserued the name of Trismegystus: For God gaue hym the spirit of prophe∣cie, and forknowlage of diuers matters.

These examples besyde y^e euident profe in our late souerain Lorde Kyng Henry the eyght, satisfy this dout sufficiently: For firste they proue that God woulde so haue it, because he ioyneth with them his spirit of prophecie: And whether one man may wel execute them both▪ the prayses of these menne metely well declare.

Wherfore now seing I haue proued my gift aptly applied, I haue no more to do, but fyrst to desyer the euerliuing God that as he hath geuen your grace these two offices, so it may plese him (as he did to other that had the like) to geue ye al∣so the thirde: I meane the gyft of prophecie, truly to vnder∣stand the holy scriptures, that ye may be able through the il∣luminyng of his holy spirit, to iudge & examin al spirites, & then to besech your maiesty to take in wurth this simple gift. We haue an english prouerbe whiche teachyng to take gyfts thankfully, & to fynde no fault with them, sayth:* 1.7 Loke not a geuen horse in the mouth. I wyl not tary vpon the prouerbe, but I would it should not be regarded here: for this gyfte is

an horse of an other nature than those that the prouerbe see∣ueth for. This is suche an horse as must be ryd, & beyng well red and rid, I doubt not but wyll bryng a man to Christe, yf the reader (I should say rider) wil endure to sit him: wher∣fore I beseche your maiestie to beholde him, open his mouthe hardily, yea rip his belly to, & loke what is within hym, tyll ye be perfect in euery parte of hys body. It is but a shorte horse, and yet contrary to the prouerb, he will be long in co∣rying: spare hym not therefore, but tyre hym yf ye can, read hym day and nyght, & spurre hym to the quicke. And yf your grace perceyue, that he interfere, halte, or stumble, (For it is a good horse that neuer stumbleth) cast hym not awaye ther∣fore, but geue hym to sum cunnyng leache, to cure hym, and breake of from him those euell properties. So doing I doubt not but your grace shalbe delyted and pleased with my gift, and I be made ioyous for that you vse it according to my de∣sier. For here shal your maiestie hear Christ and his churche singyng the one in prayse of the other: and that suche swete & mistical balades, as I doubt not but will delite any christen harted eare. Would god that suche songes myght once driue out of office the baudy balades of lecherous loue that com∣monly are indited and song of idle courtyers in princes and noble mens houses. They are not fine ynough sum will ans∣wer: wel than woulde I wish that suche fine felowes would becum course ynough for suche course matters. The coursest frise best pleaseth the finest of them in winter. And I doubt not but theyr colde soules shoulde be kept warme with these course songes, if in the winter of theyr frosen faythe, & clum∣sed charitie, they woulde vouchesafe tunably to syng them. I speake not this of these balades alone, but of all other of lyke matter:* 1.8 as psalmes, and himnes: In whiche the apostle woulde haue them that reioyce, to be exercised. To whiche your Maiesty hath alredy geuen a notable ensample, in cau∣syng the psalmes brought in to fine englysh meter, by youre godly disposed seruaunt Thomas Sternholde, to be song o∣penly before your grace in the hearyng of all your subiectes. Whiche good example, I beseche GOD all your subiectes may haue grace to folow: that you may be praysed as the pa∣terne of vertue, and in the folowing therof God may be glo∣rified. Who preserue your Maiestie in health, welth, vertue and honor, nowe and euer. Amen.

At London the first of Iune. 1549.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Gene xiiii. Hebru vii.
• * 1.2

  i. of Kin. vii.
• * 1.3

  i. of Kin. viii.
• * 1.4

  i. Macha. i.ii and .iii.
• * 1.5

  i. Mach. xiii.
• * 1.6

  Iosephus de bello Iudai. li. i. Cap iii.
• * 1.7

  A prouerbe.
• * 1.8

  Ephes. v. Iacob. v. Thes. iii.