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Beauty, honour, and riches auayle no whit: For death when he commeth, spoyleth it.
¶The Countesse. Countesse, or what thou art: I strike thee with my dart.
¶The Vicountesse. Vicountes I ••o not spare: For of them I 〈◊〉〈◊〉 no car••.
O God, and Lord Iesus Christ, thou knowest, yea and thou hast taught vs, how great mannes weake∣nes is, or rather how vnable he is to doe any thing without theé. If he trust to himselfe he must neédes fall hedlong into a thousand mischiefes. O deére fa∣ther, pitie thy childes infirmitie, be merciful and fouourable vnto me, that I may seé the true good things through thine inlightning, haue a longing to them through thine incouraging, and attayn to them through thy guyding, vtterly distrusting my selfe, I geue o∣uer, and betake me all wholy vnto theé alone.
Thou hast made me a man, of body earthly, transitory, and mortall: but of soule, heauenly, firme, and immortall. Thou hast indued me with a minde, that is to say, with vnderstanding, rea∣son, and iudgement, whereby to con∣ceiue
¶ The Baronnesse. Baronnesse braue and hie: Prepare thy selfe to dye.
¶ The Lady. Ladies gay and fayre: To you I doe repayre.
No state, no might, young nor old: To resist death dare be bold.
the soueraine goodnes, which is euen thou thy selfe O God. And vpon the knowing of it, to be in loue with it. And by louing of it, to be knit vnto it, and to be made all one with it, and so consequently, to become immortall, and blessed.
But I (wretch that I am,) neglec∣ting so great a benefite, doe incline to the lustes of the flesh, and spend all the powers of my mind about things that are most vile. I ouerwhelme my selfe with earth, wherthrough, of heauenly, I become earthly, and of Godlike, beastlike. Yet doest thou not fayle me, nor forsake me O my God. For thou hast called me to the partnership of thy kingdome. Thou of thy freé goodnesse, hast washed me with water through faith in the name of thy Sonne Iesus Christ, to whom be prayse and thanks with theé, for that so great and vnspe∣kable
Death by his might doth conuince: Empresse, Queene, Dutchesse and Prince.
••he ••udges wife. ••adame or iustice wife: I am come to endethy life.
The lawyers wife. Beware thy husbands gayn Reward theé not with pain.
benefite. Neither stayest thou there: but thou doost also offer me thy light almost euery minite to the intent I should seé theé: & thou settest my hart on fire, to the intent I should loue theé. But I vnhappy wight do fayl my self, I feéle and perceiue no more then if I wer deaf, blind, or a stone. Like a thāk∣les wretch, I vse not these so great be∣nefits, but despyse them. I like better of the base things that shall perish: in th•••• am I busy, about thē am I whol∣ly occupyed. Thou leadest me one way and I shrink asyde another way. Thou reachest me thy hand, and I refuse it. Thou drawest me, and I drag backe. Now and then I enter into the way & by and by I look back again, and either cease quite and cleane, or els fall to loy¦tering and lingring. O my God, wa∣ken me, quicken me vp, suffer me not to lye wallowing still in the myre, streng∣then
The Gentlewomā Gentles braue & fine: Daunce after my line.
Aldermans wife. Thou art clo∣thed in skar••et· And yet art but my varlet.
Behold vs here that sometime were gay: ••ow now we lye dead all wrapped in clay.
me agaynst naughty custome, in∣bolden me to despise things that are to be despised, giue me power to tread vi••e things vnder my feét, and cause me to set my mind vpon the highest, excel∣lētest, and best things.
Geue me grace O God to harken to thy calling and to follow thy guyding. For thou leadest vs to store of all good things: thou offerest thy self and all thy goods: giue vs grace to receiue them. Thou shewest vs the way to most sin∣gular benefites, suffer vs not to turne head vntill we haue taken possession of them.
Giue vs constancy and stedines of purpose, that our thoughtes may not be fleéting, fond, and vneffectual, but that we may performe all things with an vnmouable minde, to ye glory of thy holy name through Iesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Riches, nor treasure auayle nothing: For death to earth all doth bring.
Merchantes wife. Braue & neuer so nice: daunce after my deuice
Citisens wife. Trick and trim, put of your hood I am come to do you good.