Classic Poem

The Wandering Iew : or, the Shoemaker of Ierusalem.

Who liued when our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ was Crucified, and by him appointed to Liue till his Coming again.

When as in fair Ierusalem,
Our Sauiour Christ did liue,
And for the sins of all the world,
His own dear life did giue ;
The wicked Iews with scoffs and scorns
Did daily him molest :
That neuer till he left this life,
Our Sauiour could haue rest.
Repent therefore, O England !
Repent while you haue space ;
And do not like the wicked Iews
Despise Gods profer'd grace.

When they had crown'd his head with thorns,
And scourg'd him with disgrace ;
In scornful sort they led him forth
Vnto his dying place.
Where thousands thousands in the street
Did see him pass along ;
Yet not one gentle heart was there,
That pity'd this his wrong. Repent, &c.

Both old and young reuiled him,
As thro' the streets he went ;
And nothing found but churlish taunts
By euery one's consent.
His own dear cross he bore himself.
A burden far too great ;
Which made him in the streets to faint,
With blood and water sweat. Repent, &c.

Being weary, thus he sought for rest,
For to ease his burthen'd soul,
Vpon a stone ; the which a wretch
Did churlishly controul.
And said, Away, thou king of Iews,
You shall not rest you here :
Pass on ; your execution-place
You see now draweth near. Repent, &c.

And thereupon he thrust him thence,
At which our Sauiour said,
I sure will rest, but thou shalt walk,
And haue no iourney staid.
With that this cursed shoemaker,
For offering Christ this wrong,
Left wife and children, house, and all,
And went from thence along. Repent, &c.

So when he had the precious blood
Of Iesus Christ thus shed,
And to the cross his body nail'd
Away with speed he fled,
Without returning back again
Vnto his dwelling-place ;
And wandreth vp and down the world,
A renegade most base. Repent, &c.

No resting could he find at all,
Nor ease, nor heart's content ;
No house, nor home, nor dwelling place,
But wandering forth he went.
From town to town, in foreign lands,
With grieued conscience, still
Repenting for the heinous guilt
Of his fore-passed ill. Repent, &c.

Thus after some ages had past,
With wandering vp and down,
He once again desired to see
Ierusalem's fair town.
But finding it was quite destroy'd,
He wandered full of woe;
Our Sauiours words which he had spoke,
To verify and shew : Repent, &c.

I'll rest (said he) but thou shalt walk,
So doth this Wandering Iew,
From place to place, but cannot stay,
For seeing countries new.
Declaring still the power of him,
Where'er he comes or goes,
And of all things done in the East,
Since Christ his death he shows. Repent, &c.

The world he still doth compass round,
And sees those nations strange,
Who hearing of the name of God,
Their idol Gods do change.
To whom he hath told wond'rous things
Of time fore-past and gone ;
And to the Princes of the world
Declar'd his cause of moan. Repent, &c.

Desiring still to be dissolu'd
And yield his mortal breath ;
But as the Lord had thus decreed,
He must not yet see death.
For neither looks he old or young,
But as he did those times
When Christ did suffer on the cross,
For mortal sinners crimes. Repent, &c.

He passed many foreign lands,
Arabia, Egypt, Africa,
Greecia, Syria and Great Thrace,
And quite thro' Hungary.
Where Paul and Peter preached Christ,
Those blest apostles dear,
Where he hath told our Sauiours words,
In the countries far and near. Repent, &c.

And lately in Bohemia,
With many a German town ;
And now in Flanders, as 'tis thought
He wandereth vp and down.
Where learned men with him confer,
Of those his lingering days,
And wonder much to hear him tell
His iourneys and his ways. Repent, &c.

If people giue this Iew an alms,
The most that he will take
Is not aboue a groat a day,
Which he for Iesus sake
Doth kindly giue vnto the poor,
And therefore makes no spare,
Affirming still that Iesus Christ
Of him hath daily care. Repent, &c.

He was not seen to laugh or smile,
But weep and make great moan,
Lamenting still his miseries,
And days far spent and gone.
If he hears any one blaspheme,
Or take Gods name in vain ;
He tells them that they crucify
Our Sauiour Christ again. Repent, &c.

If thou had'st seen grim death (said he)
As these mine eyes haue done,
Ten thousand thousand times would ye
His torments think vpon.
And suffer for his sake all pains,
All torments and all woes,
These are his words, and this his life,
Where e'er he comes or goes. Repent, &c.