One day, whiles that my daylie cares did sleepe,
My spirit, shaking off her earthly prison,
Began to enter into meditation deepe
Of things exceeding reach of common reason;
Such as this age, in which all good is geason*,
And all that humble is and meane** debaced,
Hath brought forth in her last declining season,
Griefe of good mindes, to see goodnesse disgraced!
On which when as my thought was throghly@ placed,
Unto my eyes strange showes presented were,
Picturing that which I in minde embraced,
That yet those sights empassion$ me full nere.
Such as they were, faire Ladie%, take in worth,
That when time serves may bring things better forth.
[* _Geason_, rare.] [** _Meane_, lowly.] [@ _Throghly_, thoroughly.] [$
_Empassion_, move.] [% _Faire Ladie._ The names of the ladies to whom
these Visions and those of Petrarch (see p. 210, VII. 9) were inscribed
have not been preserved. C.]