Contents -BIBLIOGRAPHIC RECORD

Edward Farr, ed. Select Poetry of the Reign of Queen Elizabeth. 1845.

No Ioy Comparable to a Quiet Minde

XXXVI. Candish

IN loothsome race, pursued by slipperie life,

Whose sugred guile with glittering ioy present,

The carefull ghoast, oppressed sore with strife,

Yeeldes ghastly grones from painefull passions sent.

The sinfull flesh, that beares him here in viewe,

Insteed of life dooth dreadful death pursue.

The way he seeth by touch of merit’s grace,

Wherein to runne, alas! he gladly would;

But filthy flesh, his wretched dwelling-place,

Dooth so rebell at that which doo he should,

That sillie soule, who feeles his heauie need,

Can onely will, but nought performe in deed.

The will through grace doth oft desire the good,

But all in vaine; for that the fleshly foe

Yeeldes forth such fruites as sinnes hath bred in bud,

And blindly suckes the sap of deadly woe;

Esteeming shewes of fickle fancies knowne,

And scorning fruite by grace eternall sowne.

Though eye doth see that death doth swallow all,

Both life and lust, and euerie sound delight;

Yet wretched flesh through sinne is made so thrall,

That nought it markes apparent thinges in sight,

That might him traine to care of better grace—

Both doth his bale with greedy lust imbrace.

Then since desert, and all thinges weare away,

That nought remaine but fruite of grace or sinne;

God build in vs such conscience as can say,

This fruite’s not mine, but sinne that dwell me in.

For why? to sinne I dayly doo in sight,

That vnto Christ I may reuiue my spright.