A Ballad of Anne Askew, Entitled: I am a Woman poor and Blind.  
 

I Am a Woman poor and blind  
and little knowledge remains in me,  
L●ng have I sought and fain would I find,  
what herbs in my garden were best to be.   

〈◊〉 garden ●●●ne which is unknown,  
that God at his goodness gave unto me:  
I 〈◊〉 my own body wherein I would have sown  
the ●●●de of Christ's true verity.   

My ●●●●t whithin me is vexed sore,  
m● 〈◊〉 striveth against the same:  
My sorrows no increase daily more and more,  
〈…〉 suffereth most ●itter pain:   

I wi●h 〈…〉 being thus of strife,  
would ●aint have his appease and 〈◊〉:  
〈…〉 knowing in my mortal life,  
what 〈◊〉 I might 〈◊〉 to please God best,   

With 〈◊〉 intent and one accord.  
〈◊〉 a Ga●d●er that I did know:  
I went 〈…〉 him for the love of the Lord,  
true seeds in my garden for to so●   

Then this proud Gardner seeing me so blind,  
he thought ●n me to work his will:  
And flattered me with words so kind,  
to have me continue in blindness still,   

He fed me then with lies and morken,  
for venial sins he bade me go,  
To give my money ●o stones and storks,  
which was stark lies and nothing so.   

●●●th ●●●●king meat than was I fe●,  
〈◊〉 in ●●●pe me from my salvation▪  
I ha●●●e●●-ta●●●s of Mass, and Bulls of lead,  
not one word spoken of Christ's passion.   

In me was ●●wne all kind of feigned seeds,  
with Popish ceremonies many a ●ns,  
〈…〉 of Requiem with other Ingling deeds,  
till God's spirit out of my gard●n was gone.   

Then was ● commanded full straigtly.  
〈…〉 I would be sure:  
To 〈…〉, or some Chau●ity,  
in ●e pr●●●● for whilst the world endure.   

〈…〉, saith he, it is lies,  
〈…〉 I must abhor:  
〈◊〉 not with 〈◊〉 any manner of wise,  
but 〈◊〉 as 〈◊〉 ●●●hers have 〈◊〉 before,   
 

¶ My trust I did put then in the Diviles works,  
thinking them sufficient, my soul to save.  
Being worse than either jews or Turks,  
thus Christ of his merits I did derpave.   

¶ I might liken myself with a woeful heart,  
unto the tumbe man in Luke the ●luen:  
From whom Christ caused the Devil to departed  
but shortly after he took the other se●uen.   

¶ My time thus good Lord so wickedly spent,  
alas shall I die the sooner therefore:  
No Lord, I find written in thy Testament,  
thut thou hast mercy enough in store.   

¶ For such sinners as the Scripture saith,  
that will gladly repent and ●●llow thy word:  
Which I will no deny whilst I have breath,  
for Prison, fire, Faggot, nor ●●r●e sword.   

¶ Strength me good Lord in thy truth to stand,  
for the bloody Butchers have me at their will  
With their slaughter knives ready drawn in their hand  
my simple carcase to devour and kill.   

¶ O Lord forgive me mine offence,  
for I have offended thee very sore:  
Take therefore my sinful body from hence,  
and then shall I vild wretch offend thee no more   

¶ I would wish all christians & faithful friends  
to keep them from this Gardener's hands,  
For he will bring them soon unto their ends,  
with cruel torments of fierce firebrands.   

¶ I dare not presume for him to pray,  
because the truth of him was well known:  
And since that time he hath gone astray,  
and much pestilent seed abroad he hath sown   

¶ Because that now I have no space,  
the cause of my death truly to show:  
I trust hereafter by God's holy grace,  
that all faithful men shall it plainly know,   

To thee O Lord I bequeath my spirit,  
which art the workemaster of the same:  
It is thine, Lord therefore take it of right,  
my carcase on earth I leave, from whence it came   

¶ Although to ashes it 〈◊〉 now burned,  
I know thou canst raise it agains,  
In the same likeness that thou it form,  
●t Heaven with the● evermore to remain.    

Imprinted at London for 〈…〉