Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, VIRGIDEMIAE: BOOK 2: SATIRE: 3, by JOSEPH HALL


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

VIRGIDEMIAE: BOOK 2: SATIRE: 3, by                     Poet's Biography
First Line: Who doubts? The lawes fel down from heauens height
Last Line: So robs the sheepe, in fauours faire pretence.
Subject(s): God; Law & Lawyers; Mankind; Worship; Attorneys; Human Race


Who doubts? the lawes fel down from heauens height
Like to some gliding starre in winters night.
Themis the Scribe of God did long agone,
Engraue them deepe in during Marble-stone,
And cast them downe on this vnruly clay,
That men might know to rule and to obey.
But now their Characters depraued bin,
By them that would make gaine of others sin.
And now hath wrong so maistered the right,
That they liue best, that on wrongs offall light,
So loathly flye that liues on galled wound,
And scabby festers inwardly vnsound,
Feedes fatter with that poysnous carrion,
Then they that haunt the heelthy lims alone.
Wo to the weale where manie Lawiers bee,
For there is sure much store of maladie.
T'was truely said, and truely was forseene,
The fat kine are deuoured of the leane.
Genus and Species long since barefoote went,
Vpon their ten-toes in wild wanderment:
Whiles father Bartoll on his footcloth rode
Vpon high pauement gayly siluer-strowd.
Each home-bred science percheth in the chaire,
Whiles sacred arts grouell on the groundsell bare.
Since pedling Barbarismes gan be in request,
Nor classicke tongues, nor learning found no rest.
The crowching Client, with low-bended knee,
And many Worships, and faire flatterie,
Tels on his tale as smoothly as him list,
But still the Lawiers eye squints on his fist:
If that seeme lined with a larger fee,
Doubt not the suite, the lawe is plaine for thee.
Tho must he buy his vainer hope with price,
Disclout his crownes, and thanke for his aduise.
So haue I seene in a tempestuous stowre,
Some breer-bush shewing shelter from the showre
Vnto the hopefull sheepe, that faine would hide
His fleecie coate from that same angry tide.
The ruth-lesse breere regardlesse of his plight,
Layes hold vpon the fleece he should acquite,
And takes aduantage of the carelesse pray,
That thought she in securer shelter lay.
The day is fayre, the sheepe would fare to feed:
The tyrant Brier holds fast his shelters meed,
And claymes it for the fee of his defence:
So robs the sheepe, in fauours faire pretence.





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