MOTTETS Of TWO voices FOR TREBLE OR TENOR and base. With the CONTINUED base or SCORE: To be performed to an Organ, Harpspycon, Lute or Bass-Viol. PUBLISHED By WALTER PORTER, Who was one of the Gentlemen of the Royal chapel of the late King, and Master of the Choristers at Westminster. BASSO CONTINUO. LONDON, Printed by WILLIAM GODBID for the Author. 1657. To the highly honoured, and most hopeful Gentleman, EDWARD Laurence Esq SIR, BEfore I pay my Debt to Nature, I would willingly discharge the Debt I owe to your so many Civilities and Favours. And I should then Depart well pleased; could I leave something to show, That I have Lived; And a Testimony that I Died with the Honour of being known Your Servant. How far These few MOTTETS (which I here humbly present you) will contribute to the Ambition of my design; the Modesty of an Old Man, always distrusting his own Compositions, may make him suspect: Which yet cannot but find a Pardon, if not a Patronage from a soul so Harmonious as Yours. However the Offer is Pious, and the Adventure Noble, that I should Dare to put a Spirit (for the Note is That by which they Breath) into the Words of Excellent Sandys: Words so Pure and Proper, as that David Himself would have sung them with Joy: I might without profanation have spoke higher. And had the Church of England but the Happiness to receive into Her Assemblies Those Psalms Thus Translated; Her Enemies long before this would have turned their Scorn into Envy, and Witty Atheists their Scoffs into Admiration. I am sure the Prudent Worshipper of God, in stead of Scandal, had received Delight. I complain not of all; Some I confess are Tolerable. In the mean time I am among Those, who Mourn to see, These transcendently Holy Raptures even in public Worship exposed to so much Scandal and Scorn. I could not say less to Advance the Subject of my motets: Nor can I speak too much to Excuse the Meanness of the Composition: yet, having followed the Grounds of an Art by me studied more than 50 years, something in These may prove not unworthy of Your Eye: though the Author has at present little else to bring him forth from Obscurity, than the Honour He hopes to receive of being acknowledged, Sir, Your ever obliged and ready humble Servant W. P. To all Lovers of music. Gentlemen, I Must confess the most of these motets were composed for a great Lover of music, and my especial friend, Sir Edward Spencer, an honourable Maecenas to all Virtuoso's known to him; a person endued with exemplary gifts and virtues, who I presumed would have lived to have seen them published, but God hath taken him, unto whose glorious Name I doubt not but he sings Alleluiahs in the Heavenly choir: whose goodness, though he be missing, lives in his virtuous Lady, continuing favours and noble respect to all he loved and esteemed; giving them to understand, their friend is not dead to them, as long as she is living, for which may she find her reward in heaven. This worthy friend of mine being taken away, weighing my deep engagements to several friends, but disabled (being plunged by these tempestuous times in many dangerous storms of adversity, and growing calamities) to retaliate their many civilities and courtesies, yet willing, notwithstanding, to return some grateful acknowledgement, resolved to tender these motets to them, not offering them for their worthiness or merit, but as a testimony and real demonstration of my sincere and cordial respect, not having, according to the blessed Apostle St. Peter, either Gold or Silver, but such as I have, &c. My aim in the Composing these Divine hymns, was at Good air, Variety, and to marry the Words and Notes well together, according to the saying of that famous Musician, Mr. Robert Johnson; I desire those to whom any of these things shall come, to have them well voiced, humoured, and sung right, and to follow the rule of that excellent Musician, my worthy friend, Mr. Thomas Ford, who familiarly said, and knew it by experience, that no Song could be so well sung and humoured, as that which was known to the Performers by practice: If you shall vouchsafe to follow his rule, and satisfy my request, I shall adventure to say with the Italian, Spero Che questa cosa non vuol dispiacere: I hope these things will not displease you. The Inducement of my Composing of Parts only, was in regard of the scarcity of voices, it being both difficult and troublesome to get two voices, much more three or four together, to Sing Sure and Masterlike: And the Ignorant judge frequently by the Performance, not by the Composition; which caus'dthat unparalleled Master of music, my good Friend and Maestro, to vindicate a good Composition ill performed, affirming that had he been Rector Chori, he would have made that Song before judged had, to have passed for good. So advantageous and necessary is the judicious ordering and management of music. This I am to advertise you, that you are to sing but where there are Words, or this sign of Repetition , having made the Singing base a through base; and that all the Words of these motets are taken out of the learned Poet Mr. George Sandys his Paraphrase on the Holy psalms of David, but only the Third and Fifth. So entreating your Acceptance and charitable censure, as also to amend the defects of the Composition in your well-performance, I rest Yours in all love WALTER PORTER. Motets of 2 voices. Basso continuo. Walter Porter. To Sir WILLIAM Owen. I. WHen Israel George Sandys. To Sir JOHN Thorowgood. II. Vers. O blessed estate Chor. George Sandys. To Sir Edward SEBRIGHT. III. BEhold S. S. Psal. 134. To Mr. Edward MONTAGUE. IV. HOw long George Sandys. To JOHN MOSTYN, Esq V. I Will lift up Chor. Chor. E S. To Sir JOHN brown, Esq VI. First part. WHo knows the terror Second part. To JUSTINIAN PAGET, Esq VII. Chor. Vers. THy bounty Chor. George Sandys. To Mr. WILLIAM Setterthwait. X. First part. CAst off Second part. George Sandys. To Mr. LAMBERT ORBERSTYN. Ix.. Vers. WHen I the bold Chor. Vers. Vers. Last Chor. Chor. George Sandys. To Mr. RICHARD Busbie. X. First part. GReat God of Hosts Second part. How long shall they, &c. WHo stranger's George Sandys. To Captain WILLIAM CRESSET. XI. Vers. BUt O thrice blessed he Chor. Vers. Chor. Ver. Chor. Vers. Chor. Chor. Chor. George Sandys. To Mr. JAMES Howel Esq XII. MY ravished Soul George Sandys. To Mr. GEORGE PALMER. XIII. Vers. Chorus 3 times over. LOrd shower on us Vers. Vers. Chor. Chor. Vers. Chor. Chor. George Sandys. Motets of 2 voices. BASSUS. Walter Porter. To JOHN MOSTYN, Esq V. Vers. I will lift up even from the Lord my help doth come, who made of heaven and Earth the total sum See see and behold, for he that Israel keeps shall not be seized with slumber nor with sleep: Neither the Sun by Day, nor the Moon nor the Moon by Night; Chor. nay, th' Lord himself preserve preserve thy Soul with light: The Lord preserve thy going out, and coming in, for evermore, for evermore, from hurt or sin, from hurt or wrong, from shame or sin. E. S. To JOHN brown Esq VI. First part. WHo knows the terror of thy wrath, or to thy dreadful anger hath pro - portioned his due fear? Teach us to number our frail days, that we our Hearts to thee to thee may raise, and wisely sin forbear. Second part. Lord, O how long! at length relent! and of our miseries repent; thy early mercy show: That we may unknown comfort unknown comfort taste: For those long days of sorrow past, as long of joy bestow. George Sandys. To JUSTINIAN PAGET Esq VII. Chorus THe Bounty of Jehovah praise: This God of gods all sceptres sways. Vers. Chor. For from the King of Kings eternal mercy springs. Him praise who framed the arched sky; Those Orbs that move so orderly. Firm Earth above, The floods that move Displayed and raised the hills on high. For from the King of Kings Eternal mercy springs. George Sandys. To Mr. WILLIAM Setterthwait. VIII. First part. CAst off, and scattered scattered in thine Ire in thine Ire: Lord on our woes with pity pity look. The Lands enforced enforced foundations shook in - forced foundations shook; whose yawning ruptures sighs sighs sighs expire. O O cure the breaches the breaches thou hast rent, and make her make her firmly firmly permanent. Second part. Our Souls thou hast with sorrow fed with sorrow fed; and mad'st us drink of deadly deadly Wine: Yet now yet now thy Ensigns giv'st to thine thy Ensigns giv'st to thine to thine even when beset with trem-bling dread that we thy Banner may display, that we thy Banner may display, whilst truth to conquest conquest makes our way. George Sandys. To Mr. LAMBERT ORBERSTYN. Ix.. Vers. WHen I the bold Chor. Vers. become of all abhorred. Their words are vain and full and full of guile; they wisdom from their hearts their heart's exile; forsaken Virtue hate: Who Chor. Last Chor. mischief on their beds contrive, and vices propagate. Let not the feet of pride of pride defeat, nor such as are in mischief in mischief great my guiltless Soul surprise. The workers of iniquity are fall'n are fall'n like Meteors from the sky: cast down, cast down, no more to rise. George Sandys. To Mr. WILLIAM FULLER. XIV. WHo knows who knows what his offences be? From secret sins O cleanse O cleanse thou me! And from presumptuous crimes restrain; nor let them in thy Servant reign: so shall I live in Innocence, so shall I live in Innocence, not spotted with that great offence that great offence. My Fortress, my Deliverer; O let the prayers my lips prefer prefer, & thoughts which from my heart arise, be acceptable be acceptable in thine eyes. George Sandys. To Mr. ROBERT COLEMAN. XV. Vers. THou Mover Chor. As Servants mark their Master's hands, as Maids their mistress's comVers. - mands, and liberty expect. So we depressed by enemies, and growing troubles, fix our Eyes on God, who sits on high; Till he in mercy shall descend to Chor. give our miseries an end, and turn our tears our tears to joy. Till he in mercy shall descend to give our miseries an end, and turn our tears our tears to joy. Last Chor. O save us, Lord, us, Lord, O save us, Lord, us, Lord, by all forlorn, the subject of contempt and scorn, the subject of contempt of contempt and scorn and scorn. Defend us from their pride, who live in fluency and ease; who Slow time. who with our woes their malice please, and miseries deride. George Sandys. To Mr. Edward WORMAL. XVI. O Happy he, who God obeys, nor from his directions strays: thou shalt of thy labours feed; all shall to thy wish thy wish succeed: Like a fair and fruitful Vine, by thy House thy Wife shall join: Sons, obedient to command, Shall about thy Table stand; shall like green plants of Olives, set by the moistening rivulet. He who fears the power above, thus shall prosper in his love. God shall thee from Zion bless; thou shalt joy in the such cess which the Lord will Salem give, while thou hast a day to live; thou shalt see thou shalt see our Israel's peace, and thy children's large increase. George Sandys. To Mr. JOHN HILTON, B. M. XVII. Vers. Chor. MY Soul In misery he heard he heard thy cry, to him thy Vers. Prayers thy Prayers direct. Sorrows of Death my Soul assailed, the greedy Chor. jaws of Hell of Hell prevailed: depressed depressed with grief, when all relief and Vers. Chor. human pity failed; O from the Grave thy Servant thy Last Chor. Servant save; for mercy lives in thee. The Innocent and long distressed; the humble mind by wrongs oppressed; thy favour still preserves from ill: My Soul then take then take thy rest. George Sandys.