A Handful of Pleasant Delights/The ioy of Virginitie
The ioy of Virginitie: to, The Gods of loue
Iudge and finde, how God doth minde,
to furnish, to furnish
his heauenly throne aboue,
With virgins pure, this am I sure,
without misse, without misse:
with other Saints he doth loue:
It is allowed as you may reade,
And eke auowed by Paul indeede,
Virginitie is accepted,
a thing high in Gods sight:
Though marriage is selected,
a thing to be most right:
yet must I praise Virginitie,
For I would faine a Virgin be.
¶You Virgins pure, your selues assure,
and credite, and credite:
great ioy you shall possesse,
Which I (God knows) cannot disclose,
nor spreade it, nor spreade it,
ne yet by pen expresse.
Nor halfe the ioies that you shall finde,
I can not iudge for you assignde:
When hence your ghost shall yeelded be,
into the throne of blisse:
In chaste and pure Virginitie,
for thought or deed ywisse:
Wher you shal raign, with God on hie
For euermore eternally.
¶And when doubtlesse, you shal possesse,
with Iesus, with Iesus,
these ioies celestiall.
Then Ladie Fame, wil blaze your name,
amongst vs, amongst vs,
which then on earth raigne shal.
She wil resound in euerie coast,
By trumpet sound, and wil you boast?
So that although you do depart
This mortall life so vaine:
Your chastitie in euerie heart,
by memorie shall remaine.
But hard it is, I saie no more,
To finde an hundreth in a score.
Finis.