еш THE TRANSLATION OF CERTAIN PSALMS INTO ENGLISH VERSE. BY THE RIGHT HONOURABLE FRANCIS LORD VERULAM, VISCOUNT ST. ALBAN. Printed at London, 1625, in Quarto. TO HIS VERY GOOD FRIEND, MR. GEORGE HERBERT. THE pains that it pleased you to take about some of my writings, I cannot forget; which did put me in mind to dedicate to you this poor exercise of my sickness. Besides, it being my manner for dedications, to choose those that I hold most fit for the argument, I thought, that in respect of divinity and poesy met, whereof the one is the matter, the other the style of this little writing, I could not make better choice: : so, with signification of my love and acknowledgment, I ever rest Your affectionate Friend, FR. ST. ALBAN. THE TRANSLATION OF THE FIRST PSALM. WHO never gave to wicked reed A yielding and attentive ear; Nor sat him down in scorner's chair ; He shall be like the fruitful tree, A goodly yield of fruit doth bring : And are no prey to winter's power: With wicked men it is not so, For why the Lord hath special eye THE TRANSLATION OF THE XIIth PSALM. HELP, Lord, for godly men have took their flight, But fears, or seeks to please, the eyes of men. By pleasing words, to work their own behoof. But God cut off the lips, that are all set To trap the harmless soul, that peace hath vowed; By subtile speech, which enters every where; Now for the bitter sighing of the poor, The Lord hath said, I will no more forbear The wicked's kingdom to invade and scour, And set at large the men restrained in fear. * Of translating part of the Advancement of Learning in Latin. FATHER and King of powers, both high and low, Vaulted and arched are his chamber beams And though his waves resound, and beat the shore, Then did the rivers seek their proper places, That know the beasts and cattle feeding by, That ask their meat of God, their strength restoring; But seas and streams likewise do spread the same. But when thy breath thou dost send forth again, The glorious majesty of God above THE TRANSLATION OF THE CXXVIth PSALM. WHEN God returned us graciously Unto our native land, We seemed as in a dream to be, And in a maze to stand. The heathen likewise they could say: 'Tis true; God hath poured out his grace For which we yield him psalms and praise. And thanks with jubile. O Lord, turn our captivity, As winds, that blow at south, Do pour the tides with violence Back to the rivers' mouth. Who sows in tears shall reap in joy, The Lord doth so ordain; So that his seed be pure and good, His harvest shall be gain. THE TRANSLATION OF THE CXXXVIIth PSALM. WHEN as we sat, all sad and desolate, By Babylon upon the river's side, Our harps we had brought with us to the field, But soon we found we failed of our account, For when our minds some freedom did obtain, Straightways the memory of Sion Mount Did cause afresh our wounds to bleed again; So that with present griefs, and future fears, Our eyes burst forth into a stream of tears. As for our harps, since sorrow struck them dumb, We hanged them on the willow-trees were near; WORKS POLITICAL. OF THE STATE OF EUROPE. [WRITTEN ABOUT THE YEAR 1580.] IN the consideration of the present state of christendom, depending on the inclinations and qualities of the princes, governors of the same, first the person of the pope, acknowledged for supreme of the princes catholic, may be brought forth. Gregory XIII. of the age of seventy Pope years, by surname Boncompagno, born in Bolonia of the meanest state of the people, his father a shoemaker by occupation: of no great learning nor understanding, busy rather in practice, than desirous of wars, and that rather to farther the advancement of his son and his house, a respect highly regarded of all the popes, than of any inclination of nature, the which, yet in these years, abhorreth not his secret pleasures. Howbeit, two things especially have set so sharp edge to him, whereby he doth bend himself so vehemently against religion. The one is a mere necessity, the other the solicitation of the king of Spain. For, if we consider duly the estate of the present time, we shall find he is not so much carried with the desire to suppress our religion, as driven with the fear of the downfall of his own, if in time it be not upheld and restored. The reasons be these: he seeth the king of Spain already in years, and worn with labour and troubles, that there is little hope in him of long life. And he failing, there were likely to ensue great alterations of state in all his dominions, the which should be joined with the like in religion, especially in this divided time, and in Spain, already so forward, as the fury of the inquisition can scarce keep in. In France, the state of that church seemeth to depend on the sole life of the king now reigning, being of a weak constitution, full of infirmities, not likely to have long life, and quite out of hope of any issue. Of the duke of Anjou he doth not assure himself; besides the opinion conceived of the weakness of the complexion of all that race, giving neither hope of length of life nor of children. And the next to the succession make already profession of the reformed religion, besides the increase thereof daily in France: England and Scotland are already, God be thanked, quite reformed, with the better part of Germany. And because the queen's Majesty hath that reputation to be the defender of the true religion and faith; against her Majesty, as the head of the faithful, is the drift of all their mischiefs. The king of Spain having erected, in his conceit, a monarchy, wherein seeking reputation in the protection of religion, this conjunction with the pope is as necessary to him for the furtherance of his purposes, as to the pope behoveful for the advancing of his house, and for his authority; the king of Spain having already bestowed on the pope's son, degree of title and of office, with great revenues. To encourage the pope herein, being head of the church, they set before him the analogy of the name Gregory, saying, that we were first under a Gregory brought to the faith, and by a Gregory are again to be reduced to the obedience of Rome. A prophecy likewise is found out that foretelleth, "the dragon sitting in the chair of Peter, great things should be brought to pass." Thus is the king of France solicited against those of the religion in France: the emperor against those in his dominions; divisions set in Germany; the Low Countries miserably oppressed; and daily attempts against her Majesty, both by force and practice; hereto serve the seminaries, where none are now admitted, but those who take the oath against her Majesty. The sect of the Jesuits are special instruments to alienate the people from her Majesty, sow faction, and to absolve them of the oath of obedience, and prepare the way to rebellion and revolt. Besides, for confirmation of their own religion they have used some reformation of the clergy, and brought in catechising. |