Recently Recovered "Lost" Tudor Plays with some others

by Unknown

I am causer of such impression
As appeareth wondrous to man's sight:
As of flames that, from the starry region,
Seemeth to fall in times of the night;
Some shoot sidelong, and some down right:
Which causeth the ignorant to stand in dread
That stars do fall, yet falleth there none indeed.

What needeth it to speak of things here below?
As fowls, beasts, and fishes in their kind;
Of trees, herbs, and stones, how they grow.
In which, men sundry and many virtuous find
One thing, be ye sure, and think it in your mind:
No manner creature may take on him the cure
Of these works, but only I, Nature.

And, plainly, there is in earth no manner thing
That is not partner of my influence;
I do provide, for every beast living,
Of natural food always sufficience;
And give them, also, a manner of prudence
Whereby they may naturally ensue
Thing that is delectable, and th' other eschew.

Who taught the cock his watch hours to observe,
And sing of courage with shrill throat on high?
Who taught the pelican her tender heart to carve
For she nold suffer her birds to die?
Who taught the nightingale to record, busily,
Her strange entunes in silence of the night?
Certes! I, Nature, and none other wight.

But if that I should clepe to memory
Each strange effect, and every great marvel
That I have caused, I ensure you faithfully
That rather time than process should me fail.
It were your pain, and to me but travail
All such matters as now to bring in place;
Wherefore, I let pass them till other time and space.

But, if ye covet now to know th' effect
Of things natural, by true conclusion,
Counsel with Aristotle, my philosopher elect;
Which hath left in books of his tradition
How every thing, by heavenly constellation,
Is brought to effect; and, in what manner wise,
As far as man's wit may naturally comprise.

Wherefore, sith God, of His great largesse
Hath thus enriched me with dower of His grace,
And made me, as who saith, a worldly goddess,
Of duty I can no less do in this case
But with heart's joy and entire solace
Myself address to do His high pleasures,
And to this same move all other creatures.

Enforce you, therefore, His creatures each one
To honour your Maker with humble obeisance—
Namely, thou man! I speak to thee alone
Before all other, as chief of His creance.
Think how He hath made thee this semblance;
Pluck up thine heart, and hold thine head upright;
And evermore have heaven in thy sight.
Ovid in his book, cleped The Transformation,
Among all other his fables and poesies
Maketh special mention of thy creation;
Showing how God wondrously gan devise
When He thee made, and gave to thee th' emprise
Of all this world, and feoffed thee with all
As chief possessioner of things mortal.
In token whereof He gave thee upright visage;
And gave thee in commandment to lift thine eye
Up toward heaven, only for that usage
Thou shouldest know Him for thy Lord Almighty,
All other beasts as things unworthy;
To behold th' earth with grovelling countenance;
And be subdued to thine obeisance.
But, as touching the cause specially
Wherefore I have ordained thee this night to appear,
It is to put thee in knowledge and memory
To what intent thou art ordained to be here.
I let thee wit thou art a passenger
That hast to do a great and long voyage,
And through the world must be thy passage.
Address thyself now towards this journey;
For, as now thou shalt no longer here abide,
Lo! here Reason to govern thee in thy way,
And Sensuality upon thine other side.
But Reason I depute to be thy chief guide,
With Innocency that is thy tender nourice;
Evermore to wean thee from th' appetite of vice.

Man. O Lord of Lords, my Lord God immortal!
To Thee be honour and joy ever to endure;
Whose heavenly empire shall never be final,
But world without end remain stable and sure;
Whom heaven and hell and earthly creature,
With one assent, and all with one accord,
Honoureth, praiseth, and knowledgeth for their Lord.
To Thee mine head I humbly incline,
Thanking Thy grace that first hast ordained me
To be as a silly creature of Thine;
And, after that, of Thy great bounty
Thou hast me set in sovereign degree,
And given me the profits of every earthly thing,
As well of fruits as of beasts living;
And that, that is also most precious,
Thou hast me inspired with heavenly wisdom,
Whereby I may do works marvellous.
In every place, wheresoever I come,
Of each perfection Thy grace hath lent me some;
So that I know that creature nowhere
Of whose virtue I am not partner.
I have, as hath each other element
Among other in this world, a common being;
With herbs and trees continual nourishment
That is sufficient to natural living;
With sensual beasts I have a manner of knowing
Whereby I should in good things delight,
And flee the contrary of mine appetite.
And, over all this, Thou hast given me virtue
Surmounting all other in high perfection:
That is, understanding, whereby I may aview
And well discern what is to be done;
Yet, for all that, have I free election
[To] do what I will, be it evil or well;
And am put in the hand of mine own counsel.
And, in this point, I am half angelic;
Unto Thy heavenly spirits almost egal;
Albeit in some part I be to them unlike.
For, they be ordained to endure perpetual;
And I, wretched body! shall have my funeral
When it pleaseth Thy grace so to provide:
Man is not ordained alway here to abide.
Wherefore, unto Thy sovereign and high estate,
Most heavenly prince! I make mine orison
Sith it hath pleased Thy noble grace algate
That I, unworthy of so great renown,
In this world shall have possession:
Thou give me grace myself to enure
As may me profit, and be to Thy pleasure.

Nature. God hath heard thy prayer, Mankind, no doubt,
In all thy requests and right full petition.
Now, forth thy journey! and look well about
That thou be not deceived by false prodition.
Let Reason thee govern in every condition;
For, if thou do not to his rule incline,
It will be to thy great mischief and ruin.
I wot well Sensuality is to thee natural,
And granted to thee in thy first creation.
But, notwithstanding, it ought to be over all
Subdued to Reason, and under his tuition.
Thou hast now liberty, and needest no main-mission;
And, if thou aband thee to passions sensual,
Farewell thy liberty! thou shalt wax thrall.