THE HONOUR OF THE LAW.  
Written by Thomas Churchyard Gent.  
Imprinted at London, by Ar. Hatfield, for William Holme. 1596.   

To the right honourable sir Thomas Egerton knight, Lord keeper of the great seal, and one of the Queen's majesties privy counsel, Thomas Churchyard wisheth long life, continuance of virtue and justice, with everlasting credit and good fame.  
THe gladness good men did show (right honourable) when God & our gracious Prince placed the great seal in your hands, called up my muse that seldom sleepeth, to awaken the world with some verses, that virtuous men may consider of. They are but the invention of time, practise of pen, sufferance of old custom, and the boldness of a writer, that often salutes men of great worth with books and blessedness, in the first entry of their worldly honour. This spoken to your L. as one to whom the Lord of Lords (as I know) hath given great graces, not only to judge well of good men's causes, (which prolongs life) but likewise to answer the hope that great and good personages have in your L. And so being called to greatness (a fortune not common) great matter is expected, and in justice the full effect of your greatness shall be seen (I doubt not) because the chosen and anointed of the Lord hath chosen you (among a multitude) to sit in the charitable seat of judgement, where pity is a pleader, patience a hearer, mildness a looker on, and mercy is a judge. Now the good report of the world (which I hear) besides the good disposition in your own mind are presently come to make a proof and daily trial of your virtues: so leaving your Lordship to the goodness and grace of the almighty, I humbly crave good acceptation of my simple plain verses, (that I call the Honour of the Law) written in a frank motion of the good will I have always borne towards your honourable good fortunes.   

The honour of the Law.  

THe law where judge is plaest in princely seat,  
Cam first from God (who would reform man's miss)  
And well maintained, with skill and wisdom great,  
And honoured much, long lovde and feared is,  
Grace spreads the bows, & goodness brings forth fruit,  
Time ripens all, and hales the harvest on,  
Law thresheth corn, and helps each poor man's suit,  
To sow new seed, ere all old grain be gone:  
But justice rules, (by order) all the cawes,  
And is of right, the honour of the laws.   

Proud, rich or poor, to justice are alike,  
No parshall eye, it hath but clearly sees,  
Where to defend, to favour, kill or strike,  
And looks into the state of all degrees,  
With love and law, is justice joined still,  
The one keeps right, as hen doth clock her brood,  
The other gains the heat of warm goodwill,  
Which is the cream, and milk of Christian food:  
justice wins that, and like a Lady stands,  
With equal weights, and balance in her hands.   

What bears no poise, like feathers flies away,  
What keepeth weight, and stamp doth currant pas,  
What must be helped with grains and doth decay,  
Is clipped too near, or neither gold nor glass,  
The currant coin, that justice doth allow,  
Is called just law, true dealing and good mind,  
A stamp that may, in any world go throw,  
And with both friends, and foes may favour find:  
Thus justice doth both law and lawyers guide,  
Sees who aims right, and who shoots short or wide.   

Marks pleaders well (that lengthens suits with words)  
Looks far in land, and can true titles sift,  
Sounds deepest seas, and wades throw shallow fords,  
And hates those heads, that with great fineness shift,  
Wealth, praise and peace, are justice handmaids all,  
Honour and fame, holds up mild justice train,  
Truth on each side, supports her from a fall:  
And heaunly hope, in heart the doth retain:  
Disdains delay, gives aid and help in haste,  
Cuts off the snuff, before the candle waste.   

When suits do hang, ten years on tenter hooks,  
They stretch too far, and so grow full of holes:  
When few words make great scrouls & mighty books  
Ill news is brought to many silly soles.  
When cunning casts, a cloak on open wrong,  
Right is put back, and knows not where to go,  
When troth is leapt, in great dispute too long,  
An upright cause may get an overthrow:  
Light is seen straight, from darkness 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 have his own,  
Though thousands run to law on froward will,  
Of each man's cause, the troth is quickly known,  
Though doubts arise, in matters of great weight,  
Good men may soon, decide a doubtful case,  
But if weak things, like wax we stretch an height,  
Or on bad stuff, do clap an honest face:  
A straw may seem, as strong to many a one,  
As is a staff, that lame men stay upon.   

Gay colours hides, a patched rotten wall,  
Fair feigned tales, conuaies foul things from sight,  
Sweet sugar takes, the taste from bitter gall,  
Wrong richly clad, to blindness seemeth right,  
Troth trodden down, lifts falsehood up aloft,  
False dice do run, as smooth as truest bones,  
Fine filled tongues, deceives plain people oft,  
Foundlings may take, pure glass for preshous stones:  
A trim discourse, set out for goodly shoes,  
May quickly mar, the text with glorious gloes.   

Plain words are brought, from plough & country plain,  
To find plain deeds, a friend to plainness case,  
In open court, than plainness doth complain  
Of wrong received, before true justice face,  
The pleading there, begins, but hath no end,  
A year or twain, runs on with reasons great,  
Both parties so, much time and wealth doth spend,  
While lawyers talk at bar in cold and heat:  
The matter oft, scarce worth a lock of hay,  
Begun of nought, doth breed an endless play.   

Why bright broad day at any hole is seen,  
Dark night is known, when stars in sky do shoot,  
Both black and white are quickly guessed from green,  
The head or hand is easily found from foot,  
The good and bad as great a difference have,  
As chalk and cheese. Then is there no great doubt,  
'Tween right and wrong, small pleading do they crave,  
For justice doom, soon finds their natures out:  
So is the court dismissed of suitors all,  
And mildly sits the judges in the hall.   

Long suits are like a semstars' clue of thread,  
That first was long a spinning of the wheel,  
Long twisting too, to make it serve the need,  
Long winding up on thrifty housewives reel,  
And over long a working some men say,  
Yet as the length is long of this same clue,  
So shall you find an end some kind of way,  
To serve the turn in time and season due:  
But suits do leave the sutars all so bare,  
That half undone world thinks long suitors are.   

The honour of the law leaves long delays,  
A quick dispatch works many men much good,  
When good turns are turned off to years and days,  
They bring disease, and breedeth no good blood,  
What falls out well is welcome at the furst,  
What happeneth ill must needs be known at last,  
And when a man in time doth know the worst,  
The care is gone, and half the harms are past,  
Admit that lands and goods do lie therein,  
Look what is lost we have no hope to win.   

Plainness is best, and ever furthest goes,  
Sleight finds a shift, to shuffle cards too long,  
The shortest way, unto the wood who knows,  
And goes about, shall do himself great wrong.  
No honour more, than get good will of men,  
With judgement sweet, a true-love knot to knit,  
To further that my prayer and my pen,  
Shall wait upon the seat wherein you sit:  
And poor men's plaints, when salved is their sore,  
Eternize shall your name for evermore.   
FINIS.