¶ Iob is wery of his lyfe, and setteth out his fraylty before God. He desyreth time to repent. A descripcion of dethe.
CAPI. X.
[ A] NEuerthelesse, nowe wyll I put forth my wordes: I wyll speake out of the verye heuynesse of my soule, and wyl saye vn∣to God: Ah doo not condemne me, but shewe me the cause why thou iudgest me on this ma∣ner? Thynkest thou it well doone to oppresse me, to cast me of (beinge a worke of thy han∣des) and to maynteyne the counsell of the vn∣godlye? Haste thou fleshly eyen, or doest thou loke as man loketh? Are thy dayes as ye dayes of man, and thy yeres as mannes yeres, that thou makest suche inquiry for my wickednesse, and searchest oute my synne? where as thou knowest I am no wycked person / and that there is no mā hable to rescue me out of thyne [ B] hande? Thyne handes haue made me, and facyoned me all togyther rounde aboute, wilt thou then destroye me sodeynly? O remembre (I beseche the) that thou madest me of the moulde of earthe, and shalte brynge me to earthe agayne. Hast thou not mylked me like mylke, and pressed lyke chese? Thou haste co∣uered me with skynne and flesshe, and ioyned me togyther with bones and sinowes. Thou [ C] hast graunted me life, and done me good: and the diligēt hede that thou takest vpon me, hath preserued my spirite.
Though thou hydest these thynges in thyne herte: yet am I sure that thou remembrest them all. Wherfore diddest thou kepe me, whē I synned, and haste not clensed me fro myne offence? Yf I doo wickedly, wo is me therfore: Yf I be ryghtous, yet dare I not lyfte vp my heed: so full am I of confusion, and se myne owne miserie.
Thou huntest me oute, oppressed with he∣uynesse, as it were a Lyon, and troublest me beyonde all measure. Thou bryngest fr••sshe witnesses agaynste me, thy wrathe inceasest thou vpon me: full many are the plages that I am in. Wherfore haste thou broughte me out of my mothers wombe? O that I had pe∣risshed, [ D] and ye no eye had sene me. Yf they had caried me to my graue, as sone as I was born, then shoulde I be nowe, as thoughe I hadde neuer ben.
Shall not my shorte lyfe come soone to an ende? O holde the fro me, let me alone, that I maye ease my selfe a lytle afore I goo thi∣ther, whence I shall not retourne. Namely to that lande or darkenesse and shadowe of deth: yea in to the darke clowdye lande and deedly shadow, where as is no order, but terrible feare continually abydeth.