Edward Farr, ed. Select Poetry of the Reign of Queen Elizabeth. 1845.
Of Perfect WisedomeXXIX. Richard Edwardes
W
And truly claime the same,
By ioyning vertue to his deedes
He must atchiue the same.
But few there be that seeke thereby
True wisdome to attaine:
O God, so rule our hearts therefore,
Such fondnesse to refraine.
In this thing dooth consist;
With glorious talke to showe in wordes
Our wisedome when we list.
Yet not in talke, but seemely deedes,
Our wisedome we should place:
To speake so faire, and doo but ill,
Dooth wisedome quite disgrace.
A wisedome counted is,
And thereby through the greedy coyne
No hope of grace to misse.
To seeke by honour to aduance
His name to brittle praise,
Is wisedome which we dayly see
Increaseth in our daies.
Too hard for them to win;
And weary of the sute they seeme
When they do once begin.
It teacheth vs to frame our life,
While vitall breath we haue;
When it dissolueth earthly masse
The soule from death to saue.
From sliding into vice,
A wisedome is which we neglect,
Although of greater price.
A point of wisedome also this
We commonly esteeme—
That euery man should be indeede
That he desires to seeme.
Which forceth vs to ill,
Our haughtie stomackes, Lord, represse,
To tame presuming will.
This is the wisedome that we should
Aboue each thing desire:
O heauenly God, from sacred throne
That grace in vs inspire.
The rules of wisedome true,
That all our deeds in worldly life
May like thereof insue.
Thou onely art the liuing spring
From whom this wisedome flowes:
O wash therwith our sinfull harts
From vice that therein growes.