THOMAS LAW BELLMAN.  
His Christmas Greeting to his Masters of St. Giles Cripplegate, within the Freedom, presenteth his Love and humble Endeavours, as followeth.  

I.  
For the King and Queen.  
NN other Psalm this Morn I intent to sing,  
But Lord thy prayers for our Sacred King,  
And Sacred Consort, his deserving Queen,  
In which blessed Union Lord, as thou wert seen,  
From whose consent in mercy it did proceed,  
So let be seen thy mercy in their Seed,  
That from the most deserving Loins of theirs,  
The Kingdom may obtain deserving Heirs.   

II.  
Our Royal Navy Lord Protect and bless,  
and Crown their just endeavours w●th success.  
To vindicate our Cause that justly goes  
Against our unjust and encroaching Foes:  
Whose thundering Cannons from the Goodings-Sands,  
Rings peals of terror to their Neighbouring Lands,  
Who if they might, would use him as they please,  
Whom the Lord hath deputed o'er the narrow Seas.   

III.  
All you that on your beds in safety lie,  
Call to your mind that all th●ngs borne must die:  
And not the healthy'st of you all can say,  
That he shall live a year, a month, a day:  
And who knows but his glass so near is run,  
That he may die before this morning Sun.   

IV.  
Fly man the vanity of being proud,  
And think how near thou may'st be to thy shroud:  
Consider the condition of us right,  
And frailty of our state by day and night:  
Sleeping, we death resemble, and by day  
We are at best but walking lumps of clay.   

V.  
The Housekeeper would watch, if he but knew,  
What hour of the night the Thief would venture:  
And doubtless so would ever one of you,  
knew you the certain hour when death would enter:  
Strengthen our Souls Lord, by thy gracious power,  
That we may still keep watchful for that hour.   

VI  
All you that on your feeble Beds do lie,  
Lift up your hearts and hands to God on high;  
And so reflect upon the day of Doom,  
What time our Saviour through the Clouds will come  
With Troops of Angels, and with Trumpets call  
To give us summons, and to judge us all.   

VII.  
After your sweet repose of nightly rest,  
Collect, and think on God who hath you blest:  
And ere you do prepare yourselves to rise,  
Offer to him your Morning Sacrifice  
Of faithful Prayers, that God may still persever  
His mercies towards you, and forsake you never.   

VIII.  
What a good Conscience still would man retain,  
Could he avoid all pleasures that are vain.  
If he could cast away all worldly care,  
And only think on things that Heavenly are:  
And wholly trust in God? what joy of mind  
●…ould he possess? what comfort would he find?   

IX.  
COnsider man with diligence and care,  
What harms thou may'st avoid if thou beware:  
What comforts at Death's pinch may thee befriend,  
If always thou be thinking on thy end:  
And ever so endeavouring to live here,  
Thou may'st at Death, rather rejoice then fear.   

X.  
Death (Masters) doth not use to knock nor call,  
But like a Thief, he st●aleth ●n us all:  
And merciless (as h● is) he puts us ●ill  
In hope of living, when he means to kill:  
Unhappy is that man that doth depend  
On Death's Reprevement, and neglects his End.   

XI.  
Squalled, and Meagre is the face of Death,  
And known by the shortness of h●s breath:  
He speaks to 〈…〉 word, but kill,  
Yet has this Death 〈◊〉 power one Soul to spill.  
Grace makes the 〈…〉, Joys aspire,  
Or 〈◊〉 comm●… it to e●…●…al ●…re.   

XII.  
Doubtful and swift is 〈◊〉 in her course,  
And Death takes all, for better and for worse:  
The rich and poor (to him) a●e all alike,  
The weak and strong, the healthy and the sick:  
For the great Bridegroom then prepare thy heart,  
And ha●g with mourning thy aspiring part,  
Thy Soul; which through a true repentance may  
Prevent some blushes on that Marriage day.   

XIII.  
We have no cause to wonder (gentle friends)  
Neither at timely, nor untimely ends:  
Death's common unto all both you and I,  
And every living earthly thing must die:  
Swift time doth carry all things to destruction,  
All nature's frame is guilty of Corruption:  
God grant we endeavour here, whilst we have breath,  
Not to be guilty of the second death.   

XIV.  
This world's a Wilderness, all set with snares,  
A Labyrinth full of confused cares:  
A Sea filled up with hos incensing Lusts,  
Subject to all temptations, hellish gusts:  
Still raising billows in our flesh and blood,  
More dangerous and threatening then the Flood:  
This gulf hath foundered many a bark of clay,  
And many an Owner of them cast away.   

XV.  
Note that the gentle Crafts-man makes his end,  
He doth his threads to several lengths extend:  
So are we drawn from the Clue of life,  
To the Fates heedless and uneven knife:  
Let us be careful then, that we do spin  
Our threads of life, without the knots of sin:  
And God will sure in Death's uncertain doles,  
Grant us good ends, to benefit our Souls.   

XVI.  
Remember man the weakness of thy frame,  
And humble thee to God who knows the same:  
And unto him for grace and mercy call,  
That thou may'st hope to rise, but fear to fall.   

XVII.  
Man's life is like a bubble in a brook,  
That's broken in the twinkling of a look?  
Or Globe upon a point perami●al,  
That still on every side is like to fall:  
Lay hold upon Repentance man; renew  
Thy peace with God, and for his mercy sue:  
That in Death's case, and dismal times of danger,  
Thou may'st not pass from hence to him a stranger.   

XVIII.  
Behold the grass so beautiful to sight,  
Green in the morning, and cut down ere night:  
So suddenly man falleth to decay,  
And withers in his flesh as grass to hay:  
Then le● all Christians, early and late,  
Be truly mindful of our mortal state:  
In gracefulness may we daily thrive,  
And glory our mortality survive.   

XIX.  
Like to the withered leaf before the wind,  
Vain man on earth no resting place can find;  
For wheresoever 〈…〉nes his ear or eye,  
He is encountered still with vanity:  
How then must man order his resolution,  
To obtain rest? by nature's dissolution?  
Beware man! if thou unrepented fall,  
Thy birth was better than thy burial.   

XX.  
Uncertain is the distance that we have,  
Between the Womb that bore us and the grave:  
Some as the Gourd of jonas by the worm,  
Are by Death strangled, soon as they are borne:  
Others perhaps, bring seaventy years about,  
Or live some longer date of Nature out:  
But which of all, come safest unto reft?  
Not they who live the longest, but the best.   

XXI.  
Although long life, be a reward indeed,  
By promise due to all obedient seed:  
Yet 'tis not th'age of old Mathusalem,  
Can bring us safest to jerusalem:  
To which most happy, they that mind their course;  
But heedless Souls that do, through Babel's force,  
Put their Conversions off from day to day,  
The longer lived, the more they lose their way.   

XXII.  
What Pestilence could not invite us to,  
Nor cruel War compel our hearts to do:  
London's sad chance, may make us understand,  
And tremble at the Rigour of God's hand,  
Who with his flaming sword, hath now at last  
Mowed down her streets, and laid her all to waste:  
Sad case: but far more sad to tempt God's ire,  
Or mind him not, till he appears in fire.   

XXIII.  
No sooner hath Saint ANDREW crowned November  
But Boreas from the North, brings cold December:  
And I have often heard a many say,  
He brings the Winter Month New Castle way:  
For comfort here of poor distressed Souls,  
Would he had with him brought a Fleet of Coles.    

LONDON, Printed in the Year, 1666.