The honor of the Law.
THe law where iudge is plaest in princely seat,
Cam first from God (who would reform mans mis)
And well maintaind, with skill and wisdom great,
And honord much, long lovde and feared is,
Grace spreds the bowes, & goodnes brings forth frute,
Time ripens all, and hales the haruest on,
Law thresheth corne, and helps each poore mans sute,
To sow new seed, ere all old graine be gon:
But Iustice rules, (by order) all the cawes,
And is of right, the honor of the lawes.
Prowd, rich or poore, to Iustice are alike,
No parshall eie, it hath but cleerly sees,
Where to defend, to fauor, kill or strike,
And lookes into the state of all degrees,
With loue and law, is Iustice ioined still,
The one keepes right, as hen doth clock hir broode,
The other gains the heat of warm goodwill,
Which is the cream, and milk of Christian foode:
Iustice wins that, and like a Lady stands,
VVith equall weights, and ballance in hir hands.
VVhat bears no poize, like feathers flies away,
VVhat keepeth weight, and stamp doth currant pas,
VVhat must be helpt with grains and doth decay,
Is clipt too neere, or neither gold nor glas,
The currant coin, that iustice doth allow,
Is cald iust law, true dealing and good mind,
A stamp that may, in any world go throw,
And with both friends, and foes may fauor find:
Thus Iustice doth both law and lawyers gide,
Sees who aimes right, and who shoots short or wide.
Marks pleaders well (that lengthens sutes with words)
Lookes far in land, and can true titles sift,
Sounds deepest seas, and wades throw shallow foords,
And hates those heads, that with great finenes shift,
VVealth, praise and peace, are Iustice handmaids all,
Honor and fame, holds vp milde Iustice traine,
Truth on each side, supports hir from a fall:
And heaunly hope, in hart the doth retain:
Disdains delay, giues aid and helpe in haste,
Cuts off the snuffe, before the candle waste.
When sutes do hang, ten yeeres on tenter hookes,
They stretch too far, and so gro full of holes:
VVhen few words make great scrouls & mighty books
Ill newes is brought to many silly soles.
VVhen cunning casts, a cloke on open wrong,
Right is put back, and knoes not where to go,
VVhen troth is lapt, in great dispute too long,
An vpright cause may get an ouerthro:
Light is seen streight, from darknes if we please,
And quarrels may be ended soon with ease.
Though Mine and Thine, makes many brabbles still,
In small short time, each man may haue his own,
Though thousands run to law on froward will,
Of each mans cause, the troth is quickly known,
Though doubts arise, in matters of great weight,
Good men may soon, decide a doubtfull cace,
But if weake things, like wax we stretch an height,
Or on bad stuffe, do clap an honest face:
A straw may seem, as strong to many a one,
As is a staffe, that lame men stay vpon.
Gay collors hides, a patched rotten wall,
Faire fained tales, conuaies foule things from sight,
Sweet suger takes, the taste from bitter gall,
VVrong richly clad, to blindnes seemeth right,
Troth troden downe, lifts falsehood vp aloft,
False dice do run, as smoothe as truest bones,
Fine filed toongs, deceiues plaine people oft,
Fondlings may take, pure glasse for preshous stones:
A trim discourse, set out for goodly shoes,
May quickly mar, the text with glorious gloes.
Plaine words are brought, from plow & country plain,
To finde plaine deedes, a friend to plainnes cace,
In open court, then plainnes doth complain
Of wrong receiud, before true Iustice face,
The pleading there, begins, but hath no end,
A yeere or twaine, runs on with reasons great,
Both parties so, much time and wealth doth spend,
VVhiles lawyars talk at barr in cold and heat:
The matter oft, scarse woorth a lock of hey,
Begun of nought, doth breed an endlesse pley.
VVhy bright brode day at any hole is seen,
Darke night is known, when stars in skie do shoote,
Both black and white are quickly gest from green,
The head or hand is easly found from foot,
The good and bad as great a diffrence haue,
As chalke and cheese. Then is there no great doubt,
Tween right and wrong, small pleading do they craue,
For Iustice doom, soon finds their natures out:
So is the court dismist of suters all,
And mildly sits the Iudges in the hall.
Long sutes are like a semstars clue of threed,
That first was long a spinning of the wheele,
Long twisting too, to make it serue the need,
Long winding vp on thrifty huswiues reele,
And ouer long a working some men say,
Yet as the length is long of this same clue,
So shall you finde an end som kind of way,
To serue the turne in time and season due:
But sutes do leaue the sutars all so bare,
That halfe vndon world thinks long suters are.
The honor of the law leaues long delaies,
A quick dispatch works many men much good,
VVhen good turns are turnd off to yeers and daies,
They bring disease, and breedeth no good blood,
VVhat falls out well is welcom at the furst,
VVhat hapneth ill must needs be known at last,
And when a man in time doth know the wurst,
The care is gon, and halfe the harms are past,
Admit that lands and goods do lie therein,
Looke what is lost we haue no hope to win.
Plainnes is best, and euer furthest goes,
Sleight finds a shift, to shuffell cards too long,
The shortest way, vnto the wood who knoes,
And goes about, shall do himselfe great wrong.
No honor more, than get good will of men,
VVith iudgement sweet, a true-loue knot to knit,
To further that my praier and my pen,
Shall wait vpon the seat wherein you sit:
And poore mens plaints, when salued is their sore,
Eternize shall your name for euermore.
FINIS.