Scottish Text Society publications > Third series > Thomas Hudson's historie of Judith

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THE HISTORIE OF JUDITH.
the ruling of this towne, the forte and all:
Least we into these deadly dangers fall.
Then like a wise Phisitian who persaues
His patient that in feruent feuer raues :
Yet hights him more then Art can well performe
So Prince Osias in this rurall storme.
He promist to the people their intent
If God within hue dayes no succour sent.
Then Izak left their sorrowes all and some,
& present wo and feare of chaunce to come 410
for that, if they through this, gat not their will:
At least they would auoyd, the greatest ill.
But ladith1 then whose eyes (like fountains two)
were neuer dry which wit nest well her wo :
Right sad in sound Almightie she besought,
And on the sacred scriptures fed her thought ? 2
Her prayers much auailde to raise her spreete
Aboue the skye & so, the scriptures sweete :
A holy garden was where she might finde,
the medcyne meete for her molested minde. 420
Then ludith reading there as was her grace :
She (not by hazard) hapned on that place,
where the lamehanded Ahud (for disdaine
to see the lewes the Heathen yock sustaine)
Smote Eglon with a dagger to the heft,
And from his flanke the blood and life bereft.
The more she red, the more she wonder had
of Ahuds act, and hote desire her lad
t’ensue 3 his vertue : yet her feeble kinde
Empeached oft the purpose of her minde 430
Proposing oft the horrour of the deed,
The feare of death, the danger to succeede,
with haszard of her name, and more then that,
Though she likewise, the peoples freedome gat :
yet for a man, this act more seemly weare,
than for a wife to handle sword or speare :
ludicium.
3.
V- 47.
1 1584, ludtih.
2
sic.
3 1584, t ensue.