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THE HISTORIE OF JUDITH.
51
If you had offred peace to this great Lord
At first, we might haue wonne him to accord.
Then happie happie dayes we might haue seene,
& not so many souldiers murdred beene. 330
Alas what hope haue we within this holde
Our enmies are more meeke a thousand folde.
Then are our owne : they, haps, would vs preserue,
our wilfull owne, pretends to see vs sterue.
Our children do our childrens weale denay,
& headlong hastes vnto their owne decay.
VVE know, 6 Lord, the breaking of thy lawe, p. *4.
hath caused thee this sword on vs to drawe
& iustly thou thine yrefull bow doest bend
on our vnloyall heads the shot to send. 340
But thou, who doth not long retaine thine yre.
Against thine owne, thy mercie we require.
Change thou the purpose of our foolish guides,
& of these Heathen, armed at our sides.
Or els let vs vpon their weapons fall,
& of their hands to be distroyed all:
Or we this drought1 & deadly venim haue,
with languishing to send vs to the graue.
My brether 2 deare (the ruler then gan say)
our whole desire hath beene both night & day. 350
Not for to see the seede of Abraham 3 loste,
for which we striue against this furious hoste.
VVhat ? haue ye paine ? so likewise paine haue we :
For in one bote we both imbarked be.
Vpon one tide, one tempest doeth vs tosse,
Your common ill, it is our common losse.
Th!Assyrian 4 plague shall not vs Hebrews grieue,
when pleaseth God our mischiefe to relieue,
which he will doe if ye can be content
& not with grudge his clemencie preuent. 360
Then striue not you against that puissant king
who creat all, and gouerns euerie thing
1 1584, drougth. 2 1584, brethen. 3 1584, Abrham.
4 1584, Th Assyrian.
51
If you had offred peace to this great Lord
At first, we might haue wonne him to accord.
Then happie happie dayes we might haue seene,
& not so many souldiers murdred beene. 330
Alas what hope haue we within this holde
Our enmies are more meeke a thousand folde.
Then are our owne : they, haps, would vs preserue,
our wilfull owne, pretends to see vs sterue.
Our children do our childrens weale denay,
& headlong hastes vnto their owne decay.
VVE know, 6 Lord, the breaking of thy lawe, p. *4.
hath caused thee this sword on vs to drawe
& iustly thou thine yrefull bow doest bend
on our vnloyall heads the shot to send. 340
But thou, who doth not long retaine thine yre.
Against thine owne, thy mercie we require.
Change thou the purpose of our foolish guides,
& of these Heathen, armed at our sides.
Or els let vs vpon their weapons fall,
& of their hands to be distroyed all:
Or we this drought1 & deadly venim haue,
with languishing to send vs to the graue.
My brether 2 deare (the ruler then gan say)
our whole desire hath beene both night & day. 350
Not for to see the seede of Abraham 3 loste,
for which we striue against this furious hoste.
VVhat ? haue ye paine ? so likewise paine haue we :
For in one bote we both imbarked be.
Vpon one tide, one tempest doeth vs tosse,
Your common ill, it is our common losse.
Th!Assyrian 4 plague shall not vs Hebrews grieue,
when pleaseth God our mischiefe to relieue,
which he will doe if ye can be content
& not with grudge his clemencie preuent. 360
Then striue not you against that puissant king
who creat all, and gouerns euerie thing
1 1584, drougth. 2 1584, brethen. 3 1584, Abrham.
4 1584, Th Assyrian.
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Publications by Scottish clubs > Scottish Text Society publications > Third series > Thomas Hudson's historie of Judith > (161) |
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Permanent URL | https://digital.nls.uk/106911865 |
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Description | A collection of over 100 Scottish texts dating from around 1400 to 1700. Most titles are in Scots, and include editions of poetry, drama, and prose by major Scottish writers such as John Barbour, William Dunbar, Gavin Douglas, and George Buchanan. Edited by a key scholarly publisher of Scotland's literary history, and published from the late 19th century onwards by the Scottish Text Society. Available here are STS series 1-3. |
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