Englands Parnassus: or the choysest flowers of our moderne poets, with their poeticall comparisons Descriptions of bewties, personages, castles, pallaces, mountaines, groues, seas, springs, riuers, &c. Whereunto are annexed other various discourses, both pleasaunt and profitable.

Of God.

I am that one, is, was, and aye shall be, Who create all of nought, as pleaseth me: I can destroy, I am the great and iust, The faire, the good, the holy one to trust: Whose strong right hand this world hath set in frame. I plague my foe, and graunt my seruants grace, All those that knowledge me, and all their race. Th. Hudson. Transl.

—How soeuer things in likelyhood discent In birth, life, death, our God is first, the middle and euent. And not what he can do he will, but what he will he can, And that he do or do it not, behoues vs not to scan. ƲƲ. ƲƲarner

God first made Angels bodilesse pure mindes, Then other things, which mindlesse bodies bee: Last he made man the Horizon twixt both kindes, In whom we do the worlds abtidgement see. I. Dauies.

How fond is that man in his fantasie Who thinkes that Ioue the maker of vs all, The Sunne, the Moone the Starres celestiall, So that no leafe without his leaue can fall. Hath not in him omnipotence also, To guide and gouerne all things here below. G. Gascoigne. Transl.

— Heauen is his seate, Th'earth his footestoole, and the prison great.

Of Plutoes raigne, where damned soules are shut, Is of his anger euermore the but. I. Syluester. Transl.

—Full hard it is to read aright The secret meaning of the eternall might: That rules mans waies, and rules the thoughts of liuing wight. Ed. Spencer.

The man of earth sounds not the seas profound Of Gods deepe iudgements, where there is no ground Let soberr••esse be still thy wisedomes end, Admiring that thou canst not comprehend. I. Syluester. Tran.

Vnder his feete (subiected to his grace, Sit nature, fortune, motion, time, and place. Ed. Fairfax. Tran.

—Is there care in heauen? is there loue In the heauenly spirits to these creatures base, That may compassion of their euils moue? There is: els much more wretched were the case Of men, then beasts; but ô the exceeding grace Of highest God, that loues his creature so: And all his workes with mercy doth imbrace. That blessed Angels he sends too and fro, To serue to wicked man, to serue his wicked foe. Ed. Spencer.

Our gracious God makes scant waight of displeasure, And spreads his mercy without waight or measure, I. Syluester.

The eternall power that guides the earthly frame, And serues him with the instrument of heauen: To call the earth, and summon vp our shame:

By an edict from euerlasting giuen, Forbids mortalitie to search the same. Where sence is blind, and wit of wit bereauen: Terror must be our knowledge, feare our skill, To admire his worke, and tremble at his will. S. Daniell.

—Howsoeuer things in likely hood discent, In birth life, death, our god is first, the middle & euent And not what he can do he wil, but what he wil he can, And that he do or do it not, behoues vs not to scan. W. Warner.

God may all that he wills, his will is iust, God wills all good to them that in him trust. Th. Hudson. Transl.

Where the Almighties lightening brand doth light, It dimmes the daz'led eies, & daunts the sences quight Ed. Spencer.

—The Gods are euer iust, Our faults excuse their rigour must. S. Daniell.

The Lord law-maker iust and righteous, Doth frame his lawes not for himselfe but vs: He frees himselfe; and flies with his powers wing, No where but where his holy will doth bring. All that he doth is good, because it doth proceed From him: that is the roote of good indeed From him; that is the spring of righteousnesse: From him, whose goodnesse nothing can expresse. I. Syluester.

—Indeed the euil done Dies not when breath the body first doth leaue, But from the gransire to the nephewes sonne, And all his seed the curse doth often cleaue, Till vengeance vtterly the guilt bereaue: So straightly God doth iudge. Ed. Spencer.

There is no strength in armour, man or horse, Can vaile, If Ioue on wronged take remorse: For he on whom the deadly dart doth light, Can neuer scape by raunsome, friend nor flight. I. Harr. Mir. of Mag.

Eternall prouidence exceeding thought, Where none appeares, can make her selfe away. Ed. Spencer.

If Gods can their owne excellence excell, It's in pardoning mortalls that rebell. M. Drayton.

God most doth punish, whom he most regardeth. S. I. Harr. Transl.

—Where Gods do vengeance craue, It is not strong deensiue walls that any thing can saue. ƲƲ. Warner.

—God hath made a salue for euery sore, If men would learne the same for to apply. S. I. Harr. Transl.

Man purposeth, but all things are disposed By that great God that sits and rules aboue. Idem.

What man is he that boasts of fleshly might, And vaine assurance of mortalitie?

Which all so soone as it doth come to fight, Against spirituall foes, yeelds by and by, Or from the field most cowardly doth flye? Ne let the man ascribe it to his skill, That though grace hath gained victory. If any sleight we haue it is to ill, But all the good is Gods, both power and eke the will. Ed. Spencer.

God neuer seekes by tryall of temptation, To sound mans heart and secret cogitation. For well he knowes man, and his eye doth see All thoughts of men, ere they conceaued bee. I. Syluester. Transl.

—God Conioynes no lesse our willes then bolds our harts, A sure presage that he is on our parts. Th. Hudson. Tran.

Our God is iust, whose stroke delaid long, Doth light at last with paine more sharpe and strong. I. H. M. of Magist.

The mistie cloudes that fall sometime And ouercast the skies: Are like to troubles of our time, Which do but dimme our eies. But as such deawes are dried vp quite When Phebus showes his face: So are sad fancies put to flight, When God doth guide by grace. G. Gascoigne.

Gods mercy gently waighes his iustice downe. Th. A••helly.

So blinds the sharpest counsell of the wise,

This ouershadowing prouidence on hie: And dazeleth the clearest sighted eies, That they see not how nakedly they lie. There where they little thinke the storme doth rise, And ouercast their cleare securitie. When man hath stopt all waies saue only that, That (least suspected) ruine enters at. S. Daniell.

When Sathan tempts he leades vs vnto hell, But God doth guide whereas no death doth dwell. When Sathan tempts he seekes our faith to foyle, But God doth seale it neuer to recoyle. Sathan suggesteth ill, good moues to grace, The diuel seekes our baptisme to deface. But God doth make our burning zeale to shine, Amongst the candels of his Church diuine. I. Syl. Transl.

—Gods word (Which made the world, sustaines and guides it still) To diuers ends conducts both good and ill. He that preferres not God fore all his race, Amongst the sonnes of God deserues no place. And he that plowes the furrowes of Gods feeld, May not turne backe his fainting face nor yeeld. Idem.

God with eternall bread in time of need, His loued Iacob fortie yeares did feed. And gaue them water from the solid stone, Which of it selfe had neuer moysture none. Their caps, their coats, and shoes that they did weare, God kept all fresh and new full fortie yeare. Th. Hud. Tran.

The most iust God when once mans sinnes do grow Beyond the bounds of pardon and of grace: Because that men his iudgements best may know: Like to his loue, to rule on earth doth place Monsters most vile to tyrannize vs so, With wrong the right, with lust lawes to deface. For this said cause were Scylla sent and Marius, The Nerons both, and filthy minded Ʋarius: For this Domitian held in Rome the raigne, And Antoninus of that name the last: And Messinine a base vnworthy swaine. To place mankind in princely throne was plaste: For this in Thebes did cruell Creon raigne, With other tyrants more in ages past. For this of late hath Italy bene wonne, By men of Lombardie, of Goth and Hunne. S. Daniell.