Fifty Godly and Learned Sermons (The Decades)

First of all it is requisite to lay before our eyes & reckon up the several ¹kinds & especial sorts of mortal mens calamities. The evils verily are innumerable which daily fall upon our necks, but those which do most usually happen, are the plague or pestilence, sundry & infinite diseases, death it self, & the fear of death, whose terror to some is far more grievous then death can be. To these be added the death and destruction of most notable men, or such of whom we make most account, robberies, oppressions, endless ill chances, poverty, beggary, lack of friends, infamy, banishment, persecution, imprisonment, enforced torments, & exquisite punishments of sundry sorts and terrible to think on, unseasonable & tempestuous weather, barrenness, dearth, frost, hail, deluges, earthquakes, the sinking of cities, the spoiling of fields, the burning of houses, the ruin of buildings, hatred, factions, privy grudges, treasons, rebellions, wars, slaughters, captivity, cruelty of enemies, and tyranny: also the lack of children, or troubles, cares, & hellish lives by the matching of unmeet mates in wedlock, by children naughtily disposed, maliciously bent, disobedient & unthankful to father & mother, & lastly care & continual grief in sundry sorts for sundry things which never cease to vex our minds. For no man can in never so long a bedroll reckon up all the evils, whereunto miserable mankind is woefully endangered & every moment tormented. New miseries rise up every day, of which our elders did never hear. And they are appointed to be felt & suffered of us, who with our new & never heard of sins, do daily deserve new and never seen punishments, when as otherwise the miseries, which our forefathers felt, had been enough and sufficient to have plagued us all.

First of all it is requisite to lay before our eyes & reckon vp the seuerall ¹kindes & especiall sortes of mortall mennes calamities. The euils verily are innumerable which dayly fall vpon our neckes, but those whiche do most vsually happen, are the plague or pestilence, sundrie & infinite diseases, death it selfe, & the feare of death, whose terrour to some is farre more grieuous then death can be. To these be added the death and destruction of most notable men, or such of whome we make moste accompt, robberies, oppressions, endlesse yll chaunces, pouertie, beggarie, lacke of friends, infamie, banishment, persecution, imprisonment, enforced torments, & exquisite punishments of sundry sortes and terrible to thinck on, vnseasonable & tempestuous weather, barrennesse, dearth, froast, hayle, deluges, earthquakes, the sinking of cities, the spoyling of féelds, the burning of houses, the ruyne of buyldings, hatred, factions, priuie grudges, treasons, rebellions, warres, slaughters, captiuitie, crueltie of enimies, and tyrannie: also the lacke of children, or troubles, cares, & hellish liues by the matching of vnméete mates in wedlocke, by children naughtily disposed, malitiously bent, disobedient & vnthankefull to father & mother, & lastly care & continual griefe in sundry sortes for sundrie things which neuer ceasse to vexe our mindes. For no man can in neuer so long a beadrowe reckon vp all ye euils, wherunto miserable mankinde is wofully endaungered & euery moment tormented. Newe miseries rise vp euery daye, of which our elders did neuer heare. And they are appointed to be fealt & suffered of vs, who with our newe & neuer heard of sinnes, do daily deserue newe and neuer séene punishmēts, when as otherwise the miseries, which our forefathers fealt, had béene ynough and sufficient to haue plagued vs all.