by Henry Howard
Defaults of nature’s work no man’s hand may restore,
Which be in number like the sands upon the salt floods shore.
Then vaunting in my wit, I gan call to my mind 35
What rules of wisdom I had taught, that elders could not find.
And, as by contraries to try most things we use,
Men’s follies, and their errors eke I gan them all peruse;
Thereby with more delight to knowledge for to climb:
But this I found an endless work of pain, and loss of time. 40
For he to wisdom’s school that doth apply his mind,
The further that he wades therein, the greater doubts shall find.
And such as enterprise to put new things in ure,
Of some that shall scorn their device, may well themselves assure.
List of poems in chronological order
List of poems in alphabetical order
Chapter II
FROM pensive fancies then I gan my heart revoke;
And gave me to such sporting plays as laughter might provoke:
But even such vain delights, when they most blinded me,
Always, methought, with smiling grace a king did ill agree.
Then sought I how to please my belly with much wine, 5
To feed me fat with costly feasts of rare delights, and fine;
And other pleasures eke to purchase me, with rest:
In so great choice to find the thing that might content me best.
But, Lord! what care of mind, what sudden storms of ire,
What broken sleeps endured I, to compass my desire. 10
To build me houses fair then set I all my cure:
By princely acts thus strove I still to make my fame endure.
Delicious gardens eke I made to please my sight;
And graft therein all kinds of fruits that might my mouth delight.
Conduits, by lively springs from their old course I drew, 15
For to refresh the fruitful trees that in my gardens grew.
Of cattle great increase I bred in little space;
Bondmen I bought; I gave them wives, and serv’d me with their race.
Great heaps of shining gold by sparing gan I save;
With things of price so furnished as fits a prince to have. 20
To hear fair women sing sometime I did rejoice;
Ravished with their pleasant tunes, and sweetness of their voice.
Lemans I had, so fair and of so lively hue,
That whoso gazed in their face might well their beauty rue.
Never erst sat there king so rich in David’s seat; 25
Yet still, methought, for so small gain the travail was too great.
From my desirous eyes I hid no pleasant sight,
Nor from my heart no kind of mirth that might give them delight;
Which was the only fruit I reap’d of all my pain,
To feed my eyes, and to rejoice my heart with all my gain. 30
But when I made my count, with how great care of mind
And hearts unrest, that I had sought so wasteful fruit to find;
Then was I striken straight with that abused fire,
To glory in that goodly wit that compass’d my desire.
But fresh before mine eyes grace did my faults renew: 35
What gentle callings I had fled my ruin to pursue;
What raging pleasures past, peril and hard escape;
What fancies in my head had wrought the liquor of the grape.
The error then I saw that their frail hearts doth move,
Which strive in vain for to compare with Him that sits above: 40
In whose most perfect works such craft appeareth plain,
That to the least of them, there may no mortal hand attain.
And like as lightsome day doth shine above the night,
So dark to me did folly seem, and wisdom’s beams as bright,
Whose eyes did seem so clear motes to discern and find: 45
But Will had closed Folly’s eyes, which groped like the blind.
Yet death and time consume all wit and worldly fame;
And look! what end that folly hath, and wisdom hath the same.
Then said I thus: ‘Oh Lord! may not thy wisdom cure
The wailful wrongs and hard conflicts that folly doth endure?’ 50
To sharp my wit so fine then why took I this pain?
Now find I well this noble search may eke be called vain.
As slander’s loathsome bruit sounds folly’s just reward,
Is put to silence all betime, and brought in small regard:
Even so doth time devour the noble blast of fame, 55
Which should resound their glories great that do deserve the same.
Thus present changes chase away the wonders past,
Ne is the wise man’s fatal thread yet longer spun to last.
Then in this wretched vale, our life I loathed plain,
When I beheld our fruitless pains to compass pleasures vain. 60
My travail this avail hath me produced, lo!
An heir unknown shall reap the fruit that I in seed did sow.
But whereunto the Lord his nature shall incline
Who can foreknow, into whose hands I must my goods resign.
But, Lord, how pleasant sweet then seem’d the idle life, 65
That never charged was with care, nor burthened with strife.
And vile the greedy trade of them that toil so sore,
To leave to such their travails fruit that never sweat therefore.
What is that pleasant gain? what is that sweet relief,
That should delay the bitter taste that we feel of our grief? 70
The gladsome days we pass to search a simple gain;
The quiet nights, with broken sleeps, to feed a restless brain.
What hope is left us then? What comfort doth remain?
Our quiet hearts for to rejoice with the fruit of our pain.
If that be true, who may himself so happy call 75
As I whose free and sumptuous spence doth shine beyond them all?
Surely it is a gift and favour of the Lord,
Liberally to spend our goods, the ground of all discord.
And wretched hearts have they that let their treasures mould,
And carry the rod that scourgeth them that glory in their gold. 80
But I do know, by proof, whose riches bear such bruit,
What stable wealth may stand in waste, or heaping of such fruit.
List of poems in chronological order
List of poems in alphabetical order
Chapter III
LIKE to the steerless boat that swerves with every wind,
The slipper top of worldly wealth, by cruel proof I find.
Scarce hath the seed, whereof that nature formeth man,
Received life, when death him yields to earth where he began!
The grafted plants with pain, whereof we hoped fruit, 5
To root them up, with blossoms spread, then is our chief pursuit.
That erst we reared up, we undermine again;
And shred the sprays whose growth sometime we laboured with pain.
Each froward threat’ning chere of fortune makes us plain;
And every pleasant show revives our woful hearts again. 10
Ancient walls to rase is our unstable guise;
And of their weather-beaten stones, to build some new device.
New fancies daily spring, which vade, returning mo’;
And now we practise to obtain that straight we must forego.
Some time we seek to spare that afterward we waste; 15
And that we travail’d sore to knit, for to unloose as fast.
In sober silence now our quiet lips we close;
And with unbridled tongues forthwith our secret hearts disclose.
Such as in folded arms we did embrace, we hate;
Whom straight we reconcile again, and banish all debat
e. 20
My seed with labour sown, such fruit produceth me,
To waste my life in contraries that never shall agree.
From God these heavy cares are sent for our unrests;
And with such burdens for our wealth he fraughteth full our breasts.
All that the Lord hath wrought, hath beauty and good grace; 25
And to each thing assigned is the proper time and place.
And granted eke to man of all the world’s estate,
And of each thing wrought in the same, to argue and debate.
Which art, though it approach the heavenly knowledge most,
To search the natural ground of things, — yet all is labour lost. 30
But then the wandering eyes that long for surety sought,
Found that by pain no certain wealth might in this world be bought.
Who liveth in delight and seeks no greedy thrift,
But freely spends his goods, may think it is a secret gift.
Fulfilled shall it be what so the Lord intend; 35
Which no device of man’s wit may advance, nor yet defend;
Who made all things of nought, that Adam’s children might
Learn how to dread the Lord, that wrought such wonders in their sight.
The grisly wonders past, which time wears out of mind,
To be renewed in our days the Lord hath so assign’d. 40
Lo! thus his careful scourge doth steal on us unware;
Which, when the flesh hath clean forgot, he doth again repair.
When I in this vain search had wander’d sore my wit,
I saw a royal throne eke where as Justice should have sit.
Instead of whom I saw, with fierce and cruel mood, 45
Where wrong was set; that bloody beast that drank the guiltless blood:
Then thought I thus: ‘One day the Lord shall sit in doom,
To view his flock, and choose the pure; the spotted have no room.’
Yet be such scourges sent, that each aggrieved mind
Like the brute beasts that swell in rage and fury by their kind, 50
His error may confess when he hath wrestled long;
And then with patience may him arm: the sure defence of wrong.
For death, that of the beast the carrion doth devour,
Unto the noble kind of man presents the fatal hour.
The perfect form that God hath given to either man, 55
Or other beast, dissolve it shall to earth, where it began.
And who can tell if that the soul of man ascend;
Or with the body if it die, and to the ground descend.
Wherefore each greedy heart that riches seeks to gain,
Gather may he that savoury fruit that springeth of his pain. 60
A mean convenient wealth I mean to take in worth;
And with a hand of largess eke in measure pour it forth.
For treasure spent in life the body doth sustain;
The heir shall waste the hoarded gold, amassed with much pain.
Nor may foresight of man such order give in life, 65
For to foreknow who shall enjoy their gotten good with strife.
List of poems in chronological order
List of poems in alphabetical order
Chapter IV
WHEN I bethought me well, under the restless Sun
By folk of power what cruel works unchastised were done;
I saw where stood a herd by power of such opprest,
Out of whose eyes ran floods of tears, that bayned all their breast;
Devoid of comfort clean, in terrors and distress; 5
In whose defence none would arise such rigour to repress.
Then thought I thus: ‘Oh Lord! the dead whose fatal hour
Is clean run out more happy are; whom that the worms devour:
And happiest is the seed that never did conceive;
That never felt the wailful wrongs that mortal folk receive.’ 10
And then I saw that wealth, and every honest gain
By travail won, and sweat of brows, ‘gan grow into disdain,
Through sloth of careless folk, whom ease so fat doth feed;
Whose idle hands do nought but waste the fruit of other’s seed.
Which to themselves persuade — that little got with ease 15
More thankful is, than kingdoms won by travail and misease.
Another sort I saw without both friend or kin,
Whose greedy ways yet never sought a faithful friend to win.
Whose wretched corpse no toil yet ever weary could;
Nor glutted ever were their eyes with heaps of shining gold. 20
But, if it might appear to their abused eyen,
To whose avail they travail so, and for whose sake they pine;
Then should they see what cause they have for to repent
The fruitless pains and eke the time that they in vain have spent.
Then gan I thus resolve—’More pleasant is the life 25
Of faithful friends that spend their goods in common, without strife.’
For as the tender friend appeaseth every grief,
So, if he fall that lives alone, who shall be his relief?
The friendly feeres lie warm in arms embraced fast;
Who sleeps alone, at every turn doth feel the winter blast: 30
What can he do but yield, that must resist alone?
If there be twain, one may defend the t’other overthrown.
The single twined cords may no such stress endure
As cables braided threefold may, together wreathed sure.
In better far estate stand children, poor and wise, 35
Than aged kings, wedded to will, that work without advice.
In prison have I seen, or this, a woful wight
That never knew what freedom meant, nor tasted of delight;
With such unhoped hap in most despair hath met,
Within the hands that erst wore gyves to have a sceptre set. 40
And by conjures the seed of kings is thrust from state,
Whereon a grieved people work ofttimes their hidden hate.
Other, without respect, I saw a friend or foe
With feet worn bare in tracing such, whereas the honours grew.
And at death of a prince great routs revived strange, 45
Which fain their old yoke to discharge, rejoiced in the change.
But when I thought, to these as heavy even or more
Shall be the burden of his reign, as his that went before;
And that a train like great upon the dead attend,
I gan conclude, each greedy gain hath its uncertain end. 50
In humble spirit is set the temple of the Lord;
Where if thou enter, look thy mouth and conscience may accord!
Whose Church is built of love, and deckt with hot desire,
And simple faith; the yolden ghost his mercy doth require.
Where perfectly for aye he in his word doth rest; 55
With gentle ear to hear thy suit, and grant thee thy request.
In boast of outward works he taketh no delight,
Nor waste of words; such sacrifice unsavoureth in his sight.
List of poems in chronological order
List of poems in alphabetical order
Chapter V
WHEN that repentant tears hath cleansed clear from ill
The charged breast; and grace hath wrought therein amending will;
With bold demands then may his mercy well assail
The speech man saith, without the which request may none prevail.
More shall thy penitent sighs his endless mercy please, 5
Than their importune suits, which dream that words God’s wrath appease.
For heart, contrite of fault, is gladsome recompense;
And prayer, fruit of Faith, whereby God doth with sin dispense.
As fearful broken sleeps spring from a restless head,
By chattering of unholy li
ps is fruitless prayer bred. 10
In waste of wind, I rede, vow nought unto the Lord,
Whereto thy heart to bind thy will, freely doth not accord;
For humble vows fulfill’d, by grace right sweetly smoke:
But bold behests, broken by lusts, the wrath of God provoke.
Yet bet with humble heart thy frailty to confess, 15
Than to boast of such perfectness, whose works such fraud express.
With feigned words and oaths contract with God no guile;
Such craft returns to thine own harm, and doth thyself defile.
And though the mist of sin persuade such error light,
Thereby yet are thy outward works all dampned in his sight. 20
As sundry broken dreams us diversly abuse,
So are his errors manifold that many words doth use.
With humble secret plaint, few words of hot effect,
Honour thy Lord; allowance vain of void desert neglect.
Though wrong at times the right, and wealth eke need oppress, 25
Think not the hand of justice slow to follow the redress.
For such unrighteous folk as rule withouten dread,
By some abuse or secret lust he suffereth to be led.
The chief bliss that in earth to living man is lent,
Is moderate wealth to nourish life, if he can be content. 30
He that hath but one field, and greedily seeketh nought,
To fence the tiller’s hand from need, is king within his thought.
But such as of their gold their only idol make,
No treasure may the raven of their hungry hands aslake.
For he that gapes for gold, and hoardeth all his gain, 35
Travails in vain to hide the sweet that should relieve his pain.
Where is great wealth, there should be many a needy wight
To spend the same; and that should be the rich man’s chief delight.
The sweet and quiet sleeps that wearied limbs oppress,
Beguile the night in diet thin, not feasts of great excess: 40
But waker lie the rich; whose lively heat with rest
Their charged bulks with change of meats cannot so soon digest.
Another righteous doom I saw of greedy gain;
With busy cares such treasures oft preserved to their bane:
The plenteous houses sackt; the owners end with shame 45