The Wandring Jew; OR, The Shoomaker of Ierusam, who lived when our Sauiour Christ was crucified, and appoynted by him to live untill his comming againe.
To the tune of, The Ladies Fall.
WHen as in faire Jerusalem
our Saviour Christ did live,
And for the sins of all the world,
his owne deare life did give;
The wicked Jewes with scoffs and scornes
did daily him molest,
That never till he left his life,
our Saviour could have rest.
When they had crown'd his head with thorns,
and scourg'd him in disgrace,
In scornfull sort they led him forth
unto his dying place,
Where thousand thousands in the street
be held him passe along,
Yet not one gentle heart was there
that pittied thus his wrong.
Both old and young reviled him,
as in the streets he went,
And nothing found but churlish taunts,
by every ones consent:
His owne dear Crosse he bore himselfe,
a burthen far too great,
Which made him in the streets to faint,
and blood and water sweat.
Being weary, thus he sought to rest
and ease his burthen'd Soule
Vpon a stone, the which a wretch
did churlishly controule;
And said, away thou King of Jewes,
thou shalt not rest thee here,
Passe on, thy execution place
thou see'st now draweth néere.
And hereupon he thrust him thence,
at which our Saviour said
I sure will rest, but thou shalt walke,
and have no journey staid:
With that this cursed Shoomaker,
for offering Christ this wrong.
Left Wife and Children house and all,
and went from thence along.
Where after he had seene the blood
of Iesus Christ thus shed,
And to the Crosse his body nayld,
away with speed he fled,
Without returning back againe
unto his dwelling place,
But wandering up and downe the world,
a runnagate most base.
The Second part; to the same tune.
NO resting could he find at all,
no ease of hearts content,
No house, no home nor byding place,
but wandring forth he went,
From Town to Town in forraign Lands
with grieved Conscience still,
Repenting sore the hainous guilt
of his fore-passed ill.
Thus after some few Ages past,
in wandring up and downe,
He much againe desir'd to sée
Jerusalems renowne:
But finding it all quite destroy'd,
he wandred thence with woe,
Our Saviours words which he had spoke
to verifie and show.
Ile rest (saith he) but thou shalt walke,
so doth this wandring Jew
From place to place, but cannot stay,
for seeking Countries new:
Declaring still the power of him,
whereas he comes and goes,
And of all things done in the East
since Christ his death, he showes.
The world he hath halfe compast round,
and séene those Nations strange,
That hearing of the Name of Christ,
their Idoll gods doe change:
To whom he hath told wondrous things,
of times fore-past and gone,
And to the Princes of the world
declares his cause of mone;
Desiring still to be dissolv'd,
and yeeld his mortall breath:
But yet the Lord hath thus decréed,
he shall not yet sée death;
For neither lookes be old or young,
but as he did those times
When Christ did suffer on the Crosse
for mortall sinners Crimes.
He passed many a forraigne place,
Arabia, Aegypt, Africa,
Grecia, Syria, and great Thrace,
and through all Hungaria:
Where Paul and Peter preached Christ,
those blest Apostles deare;
Where he hath told our Saviours words
in Countries farre and neere.
And lately in Bohemia.
with many a German Towne,
And now in Flanders, as is thought,
he wandreth up and downe:
Where learned men with him confers,
of these his lingring dayes
And wondring much, to heare him tell
his journeys and his wayes.
If people giveth this Jew an Almes,
the most that he will take
Is not above a Great a time,
which be for Iesus sake
Will kindly give unto the poore,
and thereof make no spare,
Affirming still, that Iesus Christ
of him hath dayly care.
He nere was séene to laugh nor smile,
but wéepe and make great mone,
Lamenting still his miseries,
and dayes fore-past and gone.
If he heard any one blaspheme,
and take Gods Name in vaine,
He tells them that they crucifie
their Master Christ againe.
If you had séene him dye, sayes he,
as these mine eyes have done,
Ten thousand times a day would ye
his torments thinke upon,
And suffer for his sake all paine,
all torments, and all woes;
These are his words, and this his life,
whereas he comes and goes.
FINIS.
Printed for E. Wright in Gilt-spur-street.