Contents -BIBLIOGRAPHIC RECORD

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

A Godlie Dittie

LXXXIV. R. Thacker

ALL English hearts, rejoyce and sing,

That feares the Lord, and loues our Queene;

Yeeld thanks to God our heauenly King,

Who hytherto hir guide hath been.

With faithfull hartes, O God! we raue,

Long life on earth her grace may haue!

We laud and prayse

His name allwayes,

Who doth our Queene defend;

And still we pray

God night and day,

To keep her to the end.

Thou, Fame, flye out,

Send all about,

How that with hart and voice,

In spite of those

That bee her foes,

This day we doe rejoyce.

As Dauid may, her grace may say—

If open foes an oath had sworne,

To seeke her life with bloodie knife,

It might the better haue been borne:

But those to whom she bare good will,

With spite did seeke her blood to spill.

We laude and prayse, etc.

A Judith just shee still hath beene;

A louing prince to subjects all;

She is our good and gracious queene:

Lord, bless her that shee neuer fall

In any danger of hir foes;

But safely keepe her, Lord, from those.

We laude and prayse, etc.

Confound them all that wickedlie

Pretend her hurt in any part;

O Lord, make known their villanie,

That they may haue their due desart:

That all the worlde may knowe and see

That thou dost hate their treacherie.

We laude and prayse, etc.

Devide, O Lorde! and make a spoyle

Of them and all they have possesst;

As thou hast giuen some the foyle,

Like guerdon graunt to all the rest,

That wish or will to worke her woe—

Thy anger, Lorde, upon them shoe.

We laude and prayse, etc.

If on our side God had not beene,

When traitours sought much blood to spill,

This day of joy we had not seene,

But had been subject to their will.

But God doth aye all those defend,

That on him doe only depend.

We laude and prayse, etc.

Let belles ring out; let joy abounde;

Let earth and ayre bee fild with noyse;

Let drommes strike vp, let trumpets sound,

Let musicke sweete shew foorth our joys:

And let vs all with one accord,

To see this day, joy in the Lord.

We laude and prayse, etc.