✚ A pleasant posy, or sweet Nosegay of fragrant smelling Flowers: gathered in the Garden of heavenly pleasure, the holy and blessed Bible.  
To the Tune of the black Almaigne.  

A Stock of flowers, bedewed with showers,  
In a Garden now there springs:  
With mirth and glee, upon a Tree,  
A Bird there sits and sings,  
So pleasant is her voice,  
It doth my heart rejoice:  
She sets her tunes and notes so meet,  
That unto me it seems so sweet:  
That all the Flowers that ever could be,  
Was never so sweet as this to me,  
The like before I did never see.   

¶ The Bible it is, that Garden iwis,  
Which God preserve always:  
Likewise God's word it is that Bird,  
That now so much I praise.  
Also those goodly Flowers,  
So well bedewed with showers:  
I will now go about to gather,  
And put them in a Posy together:  
I will not put them in no Chest,  
But bind them up as I think best,  
And keep them always next my breast.   

¶ The first I find, to please my mind,  
A bell he had to name:  
Enoch always, is worthy of praise,  
Like wise of worthy Fame.  
Look you what Moses writeth,  
And in Genesis there resites:  
How God took him the story saith,  
That he should never taste of death:  
And also No that righteous man  
A curious work did take in hand,  
To make the Ark we understand.   

¶ Good Abraham, that faithful man,  
In God did trust always:  
He did not fear, nor once despair.  
His only son to slay.  
Isacke was no weed,  
Nor jacob in very deed:  
joseph was a Flower of price,  
God did him save from cruel device  
Also Moses eke we find,  
And Aaron like wise up we bind,  
josua is not out of mind.   

¶ The judges also, both less and more,  
They were of worthy Fame:  
To speak of all, my time is small,  
To rehearse them all by name.  
The Prophet Samuel,  
Our God did love him well:  
David was a Flower so sweet,  
To make him king God thought it meet  
For great Golias he hath slain.  
And Sallomon after him did reign  
Which unto wisdom did attain.   

When Achab did flourish, the Ravens did nourish  
Elia a man of God,  
King josias, and Esdras  
We find and patient job.  
They feared our God of might,  
And served him day and night:  
Not joy nor pain could them procure,  
But always by him to endure:  
Esay like wise and jeremy,  
They preached always earnestly  
and did their duty faithfully,   

¶ And Daniel destroyed Bell,  
The babylonians God:  
The Dragon also, he brought to woe,  
Without either sword or Rod.  
To rehearse the prophets all,  
By their names them for to call:  
Although they be of worthy Fame,  
It is to long them for to name:  
We may not Toby as leave behind,  
Yet was he almost out of mind,  
But few such flowers now can we find.   

¶ Full well we know, no flowers can blow,  
But boisterous storms must find:  
For that is no Flower, that every shower,  
Doth drive away with wind▪  
For all these goodly Flowers,  
Had many stormy showers:  
Before that they could blow or bud,  
Or bring forth seed to do any good:  
They did abide both cold and blast,  
Yet always did they stand steadfast,  
Till all the storms were gone and passed.   

¶ Now at this time, for our gracious queen,  
Let us give hearty prays:  
God may her defend, from enemy's hand:  
at this time and always.  
And sand her prosperous reign,  
With us for to remain,  
For to defend God's word so pure,  
And ever with it for to endure:  
That she may be to us a bower,  
To keep us always when it doth shower,  
I pray God save that Princely flower.   
¶ FINIS.  
john Simon.   

¶ Imprinted at London, by Richard johnes: dwelling in the upper end of Fleetlane. 1572.