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

THE HISTORIE OF JUDITH.
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Leaue Hytan bounds, go seeke the golden sands,
ye Parths, ye Cosses, Arabs, and ye lands.
That of your Magi Prophets thinks ye know,
their spells deuine, your self for pikmen show.
O Calde, chaunge thine Astrolab and square
To speare and shield : for, we no wight will spare
Of able age, of high or lowe degrie,
that trails the pik or launce layes on his thie.
Let women, Children, and the burghers olde
At home alone, let them their houses holde. 300
We somond eke the Persians and Phoenicians,
the soft ^Egyptians, Hebrewes, and Cilicians :
to come in hast. & ioyne their force to ours : p. sr.i
But they disdainfully deteind their powrs :
And with their wicked hands and words vnsage,
They did our sacred messengers outrage.
My maister for a time, put vp this wrong,
Attending tyme, to quite these enmies strong,
with purpose more at leasure to prouyde,
t’abate this sacrilegious peoples pride. 310
Two greater kings were neuer scene befome,
Then camped was in Ragau field at mome, Batten.
with hautie harts enarmed all in yre :
Ech soldier set an other so on fire,
that scarsly they could keep them in their bound
till pype or Cymball or the trumpets sound.
Denounce the choke : but with their furious faces,
they thret their foes afarre with fell menaces,
And strokes at hand, two thousand Lads forlome,
(to blunt the sword) were downe in battell borne. 320
Vpon their flanks flew feruently the stones,
that bet their bucklers to their brused bones.
The squadrons then, steps sternly to the strokes,
with harts inhumain all the battell yokes,
And are supplyde with many mightie bands,
Some counters them, and sternly them withstands,
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