Becoming America - An Exploration of American Literature from Precolonial to Post-Revolution, 2018a

BECOMING AMERICA
SEVENTEENTH CENTURY ENGLISH COLONIAL LITERATURE
CIV
Again, you thought, and mainly sought
a name with men t’ acquire:
Pride bare the B [. . .] ll that made you swell,
and your own selves admire.
M [. . .] an frui [. . .] it is, and vile, I wis,
that sp [. . .] ings from such a root:
Vertue divine and genuine
wants not from pride to shoor.
CV
Such deeds as you are worse then poo [. . .],
they are but sins guilt over
With silver dross, whose glistering gloss
[. . .] an them no longer cover.
The best of them would you condemn,
and [. . .] uine you alone,
Al [. . .] hough you were from faults so clear,
that other you had none.
CVI
Your gold is dross, you [. . .] silver brass,
your righteousness is sin:
And think you by such honesty
Eternall life to win?
You much mistake, if for it’s sake
you dream of acceptation;
Whereas the same deserveth shame,
and meriteth damnation.
CVII
A wond’rous Crowd then ‘gan aloud
thus for themselves to say;
We did intend, Lord to mend,
and to reform our way:
Ou [. . .] true intent was to repent,
and make our peace with thee;
But sudden death stopping our breath,
left us no libertee.
CVIII
Short was our time; for in his prime
our youthful ow’r was cropt:
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