2TO sing a Song that old was sung,

3From ashes, auntient Gower is come,

4Assuming mans infirmities,

5To glad your eare, and please your eyes:

6It hath been sung at Feastiuals,

7On Ember eues, and Holydayes:

8And Lords and Ladyes in their liues,

9Haue red it for restoratiues:

10The purchase is to make men glorious,

11Et bonum quo Antiquius eo melius:

12If you, borne in those latter times,

13When Witts more ripe, accept my rimes;

14And that to heare an old man sing,

15May to your Wishes pleasure bring:

16I life would wish, and that I might

17Waste it for you, like Taper light.

18This Antioch, then Antiochus the great,

19Buylt vp this Citie, for his chiefest Seat;

20The fayrest in all Syria.

21I tell you what mine Authors saye:

22This King vnto him tooke a Peere,

23Who dyed, and left a female heyre,

24So bucksome, blith, and full of face,

25As heauen had lent her all his grace:

26With whom the Father liking tooke,

27And her to Incest did prouoke:

28Bad child, worse father, to intice his owne

29To euill, should be done by none:

30But custome what they did begin,

31Was with long vse, account'd no sinne;

32The beautie of this sinfull Dame,

33Made many Princes thither frame,

34To seeke her as a bedfellow,

35In maryage pleasures, playfellow:

36Which to preuent, he made a Law,

37To keepe her still, and men in awe:

38That who so askt her for his wife,

39His Riddle tould, not lost his life:

40So for her many of wight did die,

41As yon grimme lookes do testifie.

42What now ensues, to the iudgement of your eye,

43I giue my cause, who best can iustifie.