ee send,
Here or in any other place,
Take it with good intent;
The sooner God will send his grace.
Though thy body be brought full base, _low._
Let not thy heart adown fall,
But think that God is where he was,
And alway thank God for all.

Though thy neighbour have world at will,
And thou far'st not so well as he,
Be not so mad to think him ill, _wish._ (?)
For his wealth envious to be:
The king of heaven himself can see
Who takes his sonde,[50] great or small;
Thus each man in his degree,
I rede thanke God for all. _counsel._

For Cristes love, be not so wild,
But rule thee by reason within and without;
And take in good heart and mind
The sonde that God sent all about; _the gospel._ (?)
Then dare I say withouten doubt,
That in heaven is made thy stall. _place, seat, room._
Rich and poor that low will lowte, _bow._
Alway thank God for all.

I cannot say there is much poetry in this, but there is much truth and
wisdom. There is the finest poetry, however, too, in the line--I give it
now letter for letter:--

But think that God ys ther he was.

There is poetry too in the line, if I interpret it rightly as intending
the gospel--

The sonde that God sent al abowte.

I shall now make a few extracts from poems of the same century whose
authors are unknown.[51] A good many such are extant. With regard to the
similarity of those I choose, I would remark, that not only will the
poems of the same period necessarily resemble each other, but, where the
preservation of any has depended upon the choice and transcription of one
person, these will in all probability resemble each other yet more. Here
are a few verses from a hymn headed _The Sweetness of Jesus_:--

If I for kindness should love my kin, _for natural reasons.
Then me thinketh in my thought [Kind is nature,_
By kindly skill I should begin _by natural judgment._
At him that hath me made of nought;
His likeness he set my soul within,
And all this world for me hath wrought;
As father he fondid my love to win, _set about._
For to heaven he hath me brought.

Our brother and sister he is by skill, _reason._
For he so said, and lerid us that lore, _taught._
That whoso wrought his Father's will,
Brethren and si