SATAN

I go, I come, I travel night and day, I beat my brains, that by no kind of way My labour be in any wise misspent. Reign God aloft above the firmament, The earth at least to me does wholly draw, And that mislikes not God nor yet his law. As God by his in heaven is honoured: So I on earth by mine am worshipped. God dwells in heaven, and I on earth likewize: God makes peace, and I do wars devise. God reigns above, and I do reign below: God causeth love, and I do hatred sow. God made the starry skies and earthy clodds: I made much more: for I did make y e gods. God served is by Angels full of light: And do not my fair Angels glister bright? I trow there is not one of all my swine, Whose grooyn I make not goldlike for to shine These lechours, drunkards, gluttons ouerfedd, Whose noses shine fair tipped with brazell red, Which wear fine precious stones upon their Are my upholders & my Cherubins. (skins, God never made a thing so perfect yet, That could the makers full perfection hit. But I have made, (whereof I glory may) A thousand worse then my self far way. For I believe and know it in my thought, therz but one God, & that my self am nowght. But yet I know there are whose foolish mind I have so turned quite against the kind, That some (which now is common ̄ long ago) Had lever serve a thousand gods than one And others have conceived in their brain, That for to think there is a God is vain. Thus since y e time y e man on mould was made, With happy luck I followed have this trade And follow will (come lose or come there gain) So long as I this habit may maintain, I say this habit wherewithal as now The world is unacquainted: but I vow The day shall come it shall be known so rife, Of every wight, both child, yea man, and wife, That neither town nor village shall escape free From seeing it to their great misery. Oh cowl, oh cowl, such mischief thou shalt wurk, And such abuse shall underneath thee lurk At high noon days: Oh Cowl, oh Cowl I say, Such mischief to the world thou shalt convey, That if it were not for the spitefulness, Wherewith my heart is frawghted in excess: Even I my self the wretched world shall rew, To see y e things that shall through thee insew. For I, than who, of all none worse can be, Am made yet worse by putting on of thee. These things shall in their time w to out all fail Be brought to pass. As now I will assail One Abraham, who only with his raze Withstands me, and defies me to my face. In deed I have him often times assailed: But ever of my purpose I have failed. I never saw old fellow hold such tack. But I will lay such load upon his back, That (as I hope) ere long I shall him make A son of mine. I know that he does take The true Creator for his only hold To trust unto: and that does make him bold. In deed he hath alliance with the true Creator, who hath promised him a new Right wondrous things, according whereunto He hath already done, and still will do. But what for that? If steadfastness him fail To hold out still: what shall his hope avail? I trow I will so many blows him give, That from his hold at length I shall him driven. His elder son I fear not: and the other Shall hardly escape these hands of mine: y e mother Is but a woman: as for all the meynie That serve him, they be simple souls as any Can lightly be: there is a ragged stout Of silly shepherd's, neither skilled nor stout Enough against my wily sleights to stand. But hence I will and work so out of hand, To have them, that unless I miss my mark, Anon I will deceive their greatest Clarke. What ever thing I do or say, I weary am thereof strait way, How meet so ever that it be, So wicked nature reigns in me. But most of all it me mislikes, And to the heart with sorrow strikes, That seeing God is never tired In helping me, yea vndezyrde: I also likewise do not streyne My self, vnweerie to remain, In Due and true acknowledgment Of his great mercy to me sent, As well with mouth as with my heart. But is not this enough to make me mad, That whereas I make every man to gad, And all the world to follow after me, If they my finger do but held up see, And there withal set all things on a roar: Yet for all that I never could the more This false old fellow bring unto my lure, For any thing that yet I can procure? Behold he is departed from this place Gods will full bent tobey in every case, Although the matter never be so strange. But yet it may be that his mind will change, Or that he shall him sacrifyze in deed, And so he shall if I may help him speed. For if he do, then Isaac shall be dead, Whereby my heart shall be delivered Of that same fear least God in him fulfil, The threat whereby he promised me to spill. And if he change his mind, then may I say The gold is won. for may I once so play My partly, as for to make him disobey Almighty Gods commandment, or repine: Then were he banished from the grace divine. That is the mark whereat I always shoot, Now hie thee Cowl, set forth the better foot: Lets run apace, and by some cunning drift Foil him in field, or put him to his shift. And other song then this yet must we have My case goes ill. Oh Cowl we must yet find Some other way tassault this hagards mind. No no. Never do so. But I will keep you from it if I may. Grace? in my book that word I never found. Now is he down, if God send no relief. Well, well, then Isaac shall die: and we What will insew thereof shall after see. Oh false old hag, thou makste me soft to groan. Of God and nature enemy though I be: Yet is this thing so hard a case to see, That even almost it is a grief to me. Who would have thought he would have been so steady? Was never child that spoke with better skill. I am ashamed, and therefore take my flight.