The Conuercyon of swerers: (The Conversion of Swearers)Hawes, Stephen
Religion
The Conuercyon of swerers: (The Conversion of Swearers)
Hawes, Stephen
Poetry
¶ Beholde thou my syde
Wounded so ryght wyde
Bledynge sore that tyde (all for thyn owne sake
¶ Thus for the I smerted
Why arte [thou] harde herted
Be by me conuerted (& thy swerynge aslake
¶ Tere me nowe no more
My woundes are sore
Leue swerynge therfore (and come to my grace
¶ I am redy
To graunte mercy
To the truely (for thy trespace
¶ Come nowe nere
My frende dere
And appere (before me
¶ I so
In wo
Dyde go (se se
¶ I
Crye
Hy (the
[Decoration]
Vnto me dere broder my loue and my herte
Turmente me no more with thyn othes grete
Come vnto my Ioye and agayne reuerte
From the deuylles snare and his sutyl net
Beware of the worlde all aboute the set
Thy flesshe is redy by concupyscence
To burne thy herte with cursed vyolence
Thoughe these thre enmyes do sore the assayle
Vpon euery syde with daungerous iniquite
But yf thou lyst / they may nothynge preuayle
Nor yet subdue the with all theyr extremyte
To do good or yll / all is at thy lyberte
I do graunte the grace thyn enemyes to subdue
Swete broder accepte it theyr power to extue
And ye kynges and prynces of hye noblenes
With dukes and lordes of euery dygnyte
Indued with manhode wysdome and ryches
Ouer the comons hauynge the soueraynte
Correcte them whiche so do tere me
By cruell othes without repentaunce
Amende be tyme lest I take vengeaunce
Exodi vicesimo / non accipies nomen dei tui in vãnum
Vnto the man I gaue commaundement
Not to take the name of thy god vaynfully
As not to swere but at tyme conuenyent
Before a Iuge to bere recorde truely
Namynge my name with reuerence mekely
Vnto the Iuge than there in presence
By my name to gyue to the good credence
A my brederne yf that I be wrothe
It is for cause ye falsly by me swere
Ye knowe yourselfe that I am very trothe
Þet wrongfully ye do me rente and tere
ye neyther loue me nor my Iustyce fere
And yf ye dyde ye wolde full gentylly
Obeye my byddynge well and perfytely
The worldly kynges hauynge the soueraynte
ye do well obey without resystence
ye dare not take theyr names in vanyte
But with grete honoure and eke reuerence
Than my name more hye of magnyfycence
ye ought more to drede whiche am kynge of all
Bothe god and man and reygne celestyall
No erthely man loueth you so well
As I do / which mekely dyde enclyne
For to redeme you from the fendes of hell
Takynge your kynde by my godhede dyuyne
you were the fendes I dyde make you myne
For you swete bretherne I was on the rode
Gyuynge my body my herte and my blode
Than why do ye in euery maner of place
With cruell othes tere my body and herte
My sydes and woundes it is a pyteous cace
Alas swete brederne I wolde you conuerte
For to take vengeaunce ye do me coherte
From the hous of swerers shall not be absent
The plage of Iustyce to take punysshement
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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