That in these Priestish weedes there are full many that excell Naye Bertulph naye then blame haue I if so my wordes be meante For some of these attyred thus in peacefull wise are bent And brawle not with their brethren who neglecte or cleane refuse And therefore great vniustice t' were such Preachers to accuse Although I wishe that 's all I maye that Preachers might be knowne From Popish Jacks in wéedes and words a thing confused growne But husht I le haste me to the shore I le shonne such mounting waues I le leaue this Sea for to be swomme of tryple tongued Naues FINIS The seauenth Satyr NOw harken Bertulph to the ende of this my present tale I am enforst my floting Boate to shore from course to hale The time runnes on the day is spent The night awayward pulles And endlesse scope of my pretence downe pressed pallate dulles O endlesse powre O welspring whence all wisedome wisely flowes O God whose grace doeth guide the good in whome all bounty growes Thou knowst the harts séest the raynes yea thinwarde thoughts of men Doe open lye before thy face Thou knowst how where and when Ech thing hath is or shall be done or else committed thou Haste perfite vewe and insight good which waye mans hart doth bow Thou thou I say sole God of might beholdst the harts of men What they pretend what yll they worke so iustly iudge me then And shut thy mercy from my soule if slaundrously my lyps Doe ope at all or if my tongue of vaine presumption skyps From this to that or rashly run more then the truth doth vrge Or more then that through extreame rage and force of sinfull surge I am constrainde with déepe remorse and moaning plaint to tell O oh how many brothell Bawdes within the towne doe dwell How many filthy scudding scowtes besturre their crooked stumpes For gaine for gaine olde mother B how shee still lymping lumps And proddes about with ackwarde pace vnto her beastly haunt How doe these subtile groyning Sowes poore siely girles enchaunt And oft abet the loued spouse to start from husbands bed Beholde I saye how by these Bawdes are women captiue led And simple maydes vnto the spoyle Beholde and see their trade See see what wyly winking shiftes by cliffe browde beasts are made Of course and custome common Innes they watch with warie eye If that at any tyme they may as oft they do espye The countrey maides that come from far as straungers to the towne Whome still the Trottes doe tittle so that straight all shame layde downe They yelde thē selues as captiue queanes vnto some whorish caue Where trotting Iade for filthye gaine doth vrge them to behaue Full soone themselues vile strumpet lyke to lyue by whorishe trade And she hir selfe doth let them forth that gaine by them be made But out alas the Maidens mindes and comming was tobtaine Some seruice where to spend their times as seruaunts to remaine O ardent force of flaming sinne O rage O riot O That euer such should be sustainde or once on grounde should goe Beholde beholde how good mens wyues Inuegled are by them Behold howe seruaunts they support Beholde how they doe hem And hooke to them through crooked guile And vndereating craft Great store of Truls Beholde I say how often is beraft By them alas the fruitfull wife of her moste louing mate And husband bearing honest port of wife in that same rate Beholde also how honest Maides and seruaunts they entyce To whoredome theft and filching by their diuilish vile deuice But wher are these how should we know where such lewde Lossels lodge Where is their haunt where are they accustomde thus to dodge Rounde round about the Citie walles Within and eke without The Alleys Lanes ▪ yea open streates and places all about Are now replenisht with such stuffe and filthy broken ware And wo begone the Officers thereof doe take no care For if they did how durst the Drabs and Callets be so bolde As limpe about in lawlesse times or take into theyr holde Yong fillock Iylles and bawdie Jacks at inconuenient tides And still retaine for storeware some within their house besydes How durst the Dunghils daunce about with blinde vagaries so And with close colours leade their trulls where that they list to go Behold behold how camoysed queane and craftie crooked crib Doth vnder vile and lewde pretence most like a suttle gib Pretende to place in seruice still yong maydens here and there And maidens hauing refuge such beholde how they ne feare To pilfer filch and to purloyne from Maister and from Dame And in the ende to giue the slip and serue no more the same Which all doth spring from wimpled B and olde deceitfull Bawde And how to her the gaine doth rise which shée by theft so drawde Besides reuenues of the taile and forreine filched good Beholde how thus lyke carrein Crow shée liues by filthy foode An other sorte of them aduert some olde some yong yféere That walke about with Brushes Pins with Tape and other geere But well sith that the campes be wyde wherein as now I walck I leaue them here entending once at large therein to stalck And seuer places by themselues with styles and parting stakes And as I can to my poore skill rescind the noysome brakes For treating now of broking Bawdes and filthie Panders I Haue cause therein full many such vile persons to descrie For why the husband now is prest to put his wife for gaine Unto hir choise to be an whore or honest still remaine And so it is else how coulde they thus strumpet like attyre And set them out t ys too too true they let their wiues to hire O great excesse how long could I retaine your eares herein If I but briefely shoulde discourse So great a scope hath sinne But as I sayde so shall it be I leaue it to my pen Which graunting God hereafter shal at large dilate it when Both time shall yeelde hir selfe thereto and minde as onely bent Upon the same shall beate at full with perfite true intent Meane time with one thing more I e◠which sith the day is past I le comprehend in briefest wordes and this shall be the last Whereas before of broking Bawdes my former tale was tolde Of Brokers likewise now to tell my Pen shall be so bolde For why their deedes be damnable and they in number so Doe still increase that day by day by them deceyts doe grow In such aboundance that alas I feare I feare as now All dread of plagues cleane set apart to fraude mens mindes doe bow Sequestred cleane from Godly loue and so from Godly feare That rich to poore where gaine doth lye will rauine nought forbeare And out alas where heretofore prickt forth by thirst of gaine Within the Towne of Brokers they did thirtie such ordaine Or thereabouts shrewde wylye Mates and wittie wincking Colts Although in wisedome sure I think they showde
Lawiers then be principall and first within my playe But as for Judges now to iudge my iudgement will nor saye I wote full well their prayse was spread by me this other daye And Trueth it is our Judgement seates such Uyrent beades possesse As former dayes for men of choyse had neuer such I guesse What then no sort no one degrée no place no function so Uprightly standes but with the good some wicked weede doth growe With vertues league som vice doth lyuk and forme of godly vâ—w Oft equall makes with men of troth some Hypocrites vntrue I knowe friend Bertulph sâ—we there be whose hands regarde no meede Whose hartes Dye no deceypt at all from whome no harmes proceede And sure I am when cause of troth before such men is tryde With simple troth they Justice yéelde and iustly do decyde But nowe although with these there syt no one that doth dissent Though all of them in publicque place doo sing Amesine lentent Yet vnderhande perhaps there are that nowe and then denoure The sugred sappe that Justice yeeldes And where they lyst to lowre For spyte or gayne or priuate wreke there Justice course is stayde And where they lyst to smoother troth there right is cleane dismayde Such such there be or haue bin some who when they rule alone When scope course hath hoyst them vp and set them chiefe in Throne From Censors sight and priuate made their swaye and supreme place Then then they wring wrong the right then then they truth deface Ah Bertulph be there not thinke you In place of Justice sette Some fained sortes of fawning Spreetes that course of Justice letts That frame a semblaunce sound and good that iuste and holy seeme â—nd yet in harte are fraught with guyle and ofte vniustly deeme I feare I feare me falsehod lurkes in lappes of learned syse I feare me Nummus oft peruerts in some that go for wyse So then some chiefe and some besides so smally ponder meâ—de That where they syt in common swaye there Justice doth procéede But some againe where place hath made their powres distinct I feare Of popish willes through grutâ—h or gaine with much enorme do beare And hence from hence I feare me come these cryes of common sort That oft lament and oft affyrme their Judgement to be â—ort One here be wayles his wofull case and wisheth him vnborne Another cryes with wringing handes alas I am forlorne My sute thus long depended hath The Lawe is on my syde And yet in harde delayes I lye true Judgement to abyde Another thus be friended is the Judge doth loue him well And me as poore and needie they doo dayly thus depell Two hundreth myles and more I come My Wife at home alas Lyes with my Children halfe forepynde O lamentable case My goods are spent which labor brought through long and carefull toyle The Lawe hath lyckt vp all my wealth for which I dyd turmoyle Oh I can haue no Law nor right ne Money haue I nowe I must go beg my goodes be gone to lyue I knowe not howe These eares of mine abhorred haue mine eyes haue wet my plants My hart hath yeâ—nd in Judgement true to see such wofull wants T ys harde to saye I le holde my peace But if these playnts be true Syr Nummus swayeth there with some a woorthy cause to rue But vnto him that highest syts and sées eche secrete yll With prayer I commytte the same t'amende it at his wyll And nowe to Lawiers that do parle and pleade in cause of right To such as for syr Nummus wyll turne darknesse into lyght And lyght into obscured sence and arsiuersie turne eche thing To such wyll I procéede as now and to my matter bring I wyll not speake of fine deuise nor fowle deceyptfull clause In Leases wyls and other lyke but wresting of the Lawes And foding of the Clyent forth for though that fraude abound And though by falsely framing so eche where are beggers founde Yet I as nowe will blason forth and geue you well to sée Howe these men ioyne in matters false retayned for a fée And so for Nâ—mmus long delays a poore and needy soule To fleese and slea the simple wretche to pylfer and to powle To shred him cleane from all his wealth and then perhaps â—elent And ware full colde to ayde his right when Nummus all is spent Yea lykewise t ys in doubte with some when Nummus so doth fayle If they through brybe of thother syde let not the sute to quayle A Fée of Forma pauperisâ— no no it hath no sent Such formall Fées finde smal reliefe they buy no lande ne rent My friend therfore if you haue nought wherewith to see me styll But formes and showes Take formes againe for Counsayle if you wyll But what sayde I was promise made to paint such practise heere No no If so I must relent Great matter doth appeare Therein and therefore will I leaue them to the worldly vewe I meane the false and subtil ones I speake not of the true Nor such as are affected well as many there are such Although the false in number doo excéede them very much But well go too â–ª this gotten good howe is it spent I praye Forsooth no poore man must haue lande for so wyll they assaye And practise that in tyme they wyll gette all into their handes And turne the poore men headlong forth of all both house and landes A shame it were and great reproche to sée a poore man dwell Or haue a house not farre from theirs their Noses hate the smell And long no doubt their Noses be right mischeuous of Sent For that which once was lande demeasâ—e is holden nowe for rent They smell it forth though farre it be they haue a vengeaunce hooke Both Parsuage and ought besides they le haue by hooke or crooke Their Princely Places stately be their houses buylt for aye Their Turrettes vp aloâ—t are raysde foundations déepe they laye So thus no doubt and farre more yll they let syr Nummus wagge Reseruing still some mightie Masse to rust within the bagge And here you sée what wayte they laye and eke what wayes they vse To get this pelfe and gotten sée how they the same abuse The next are Petypractisers and Petyfogging matesâ— Yea Clarkes Attorneyes such of them as lyue of lewde debates Eache honest calling towardes Lawe so pressed is from Sise That hardly can an honest man with honesty aryse And twise as hardly may he stande to stoppe eche strayned shyfte Such force hath falsehood more theÌ„ truth so deadly can they lyfte What crewes of greedy griping crowes what fowle infecting rowte Good Lord what store of gleaning Jacks dispersed are through out Can Lawes reliefe be easily got or gotten can't do ease Where such great troupes of bribing fists must fyrst syr Nummus cease Of trueth such â—â—aines of truthles mates such heapes of monsters dwell Tweene playnts and fynall Judgements seate
kéepe All such as in most lothsome sinne are yet not falne sléepe Saue thine elect from noysome trade of worldly minded men Let not the custome of the worlde their lyfe with vices blen From place to place from streat to streat from house to house alas Yea and well nigh from man to man doth sinfull lyuing passe Not words preuaile nor preaching ought can turne the peoples harts No kinde of thing can moue their minds O death is their desarts O Hell their hire and burning flame is guerdon of their déedes No one almost in hart doth beare the true repentaunt séedes O horror doth possesse my heade And whyle through towne I trace Deepe cutting cares annoy my hart to see such want of grace No sparckle iote or small remaine no signe of godly feare No badge at all of christen men doth any person weare Or kéepe almost throughout the Towne O what a case is this Not one to finde that feareth God but all to do amisse And all to wander from good lyfe full few alas exempt And all to worke that wicked is and beastly vile attempt O God howe often do I wishe to be deuided cleane From all the dealings in the worlde and to God only leane How often do I seeke some trade and solitarie lyfe How fayne would I depart the place where sinnes be now so ryfe The world doth tempt nought remains in his due practise now Eche kinde of trade corrupted is alas I know not how Nothing almost is exercisde without some vile deceyt Fraude falsehood theft and pilfring oft in matters are of weyght The worldings wéene thinke no doubt there is none other place But ground and graue and so they runne and kéepe their woonted race What helpen teares or wayling griefe what ought at all preuayles Gods worde sincere They kéepe theyr course they haue set vp theyr sayles Of deadly sinnes and hatefull hellish lyfe They runne and will not stay They keepe themselues in darksom holes They hate to see the day Looke looke throughout their dealings all and you shall nothing finde But couen craft and fylthy lore They haue good lyfe resignde Le ts sift searche our selues throughout Le ts rippe our inwarde man Let 's way our selues eueÌ„ with our selues And we shall see vs than And finde our selues but drosse and death and fowle infected Swine Most vgsome snapes and creatures such as I can not define What faith in bargaines can be found What store of othes must bee In eche compact And yet in ende what falsehod do we sée Not Marchaunt vseth onely fraude nor men of greatest méede But eche one now that bargaine makes hath falsehod in his déede How oft and daylie haps it now that chyldren do begin Where Parents ended and do ende where Parents did begin The parents beggers first began They ende great men of wealth The sonne begins a welthy man and endes his lyfe by stealth Or wofull wanting simple state How oft comes this to passe T ys daylie seene of common course it happâ—â—â— still alas Shall welth that 's woonne by fraude be kept shall riches such descende From heire to heire No no such welth shall quickly haue an ende It cannot bide nor prosper well But who doth that regarde Who yet for welth most vyle deceyt at any tyme hath sparde No one well nighe the world is such And here doth come to minde The passing pride in common sort which now eche where we finde Such is their rage and fowle affect that though their bellies want Their backs must brauely clothed be apparell nothing scant For what cause else they do reserue eche where the Saboth day But for to iette about the streates in passing braue array The welthy sort excéede their state and meane degrée the same The common sort wyll do the lyke So all goes out of frame And Roysters ruffle all about and tosse the Bylbow blade And to maintaine such vyle excesse beholde what shifts be made Such cogging foysting cossening such fylching theft and guile Such pelting pylfring pieuish drifts as are almost to vyle And beastly to be named once I le therefore silent bée For sure I am such lyfe of theirs all men may plainly sée Ther 's brothel baytes whoring deÌ„nes Ther 's lurcking strumpets lodge Ther 's stuffe eche where for lusty Swash for Simkin Dick and Hodge Looke looke the Lanes about the Towne and search eche corner through And you shall finde I doubt not I of broken ware ynough Corrupt at least much seemes to be so brightly shine the browes So prickt pranckt so lyckt and trimde is Banckrowtes pretie spowse Search Tauernes through and typling bowres eche Saboth day at morne And you shall thinke this geare to be ene too too much forborne Take care a whyle to vew the Skowtes and wanton walking trulles And you shall sée howe suffraunce nowe good lyfe awayward pulles What should I saye Marke eche where well and you shall vnderstande And plainely sée how sinne is sparde and cloked vnder hande What else but gaine and Money gots maintaines each Saboth day The bayting of the Beare and Bull What brings this brutish play What is the cause that it is borne and not controlled ought Although the same of custome be on holy Saboth wrought Now sure I thinke t ys gaine or spite gainst good and godly lyfe It seemes it is t'ynuegle men whyles Gods worde is so ryfe I cannot any where perceyue where gaine is gotten well I can not sée where well t ys spent I thinke no man can tell Or iustlie saye here goeth one for most part now I meane That iustly lyues and leades his lyfe that doth to vertue leane But well to God I leaue this geare I haue bene somewhat long I le turne my tale to other talke I le sing some other song Finis The syxt Satyr WHat think you Bertulph of this place this Church of Powles I meane How thinke you of th' abuses here In talke and tales vncleane In fearefull oathes and vile compacts in vaine expence of winde In vilely spending tyme therein in ydle chat to finde Men occupyde at prayer time and other tymes vnmeete In toyes and diuers noysome trades As thou thy selfe dost wéete And soothly tell mée what thou déemst and how it séemes to thée In place reseru'de to heare Gods worde such Chaos vyle to sée Of truth to shew my minde therin at least what I haue seene The tyme as now wyll not permit t ys to farre spent I weene Againe sith you haue well begonne of Nummus to intreate T' were pitie sure that want of tyme should let you to repeate Such things againe with briefe discourse of well proposed Theame Returne therfore and make some ende of this thy faithfull dreame And I at else appointed time for time it doth demaunde Will nothing fayle in eche respect wherein you shall commaunde Well well quoth Paule so shall it be I le ende my tale
the streame and yet a while withdrawe My Pen from port of quiet pawse For time doth vrge me so The time alas infect with sinne Yea time wherein doth grow The rage of sinne and ryots force the raumping Serpents guile With all deceyt that maye be founde yea sinne almost to vile To be exprest or set to vewe But such is Sathans force Such are the harts of vanquisht thralles cleane frustrate of remorce Call call to minde you carelesse crewe Lay custome now a side And let your fayth with faithlesse fruites herein a while be tride Confirme the lyfe that you doe leade And ratifie the same And then le ts sée how wilfully you wander worthy blame First Auarice what force it hath what cursed cancre t is What running rot and curelesse wounde to men apparaunt is What great enorm this sin hath wrought What thirsting hath procurde The block the trée the beggers bagge such sequeale hath inurde And yet how ryfely now it raignes how graft in gréedy mindes How grounded t is in peoples harts a proofe our liuing findes No one abandons beastly trade nor maketh staye at all To practise fraude and fliching lore so gaine therby may fall The rich doth laye his goods for gaine and gapeth still to gett The substance of the néedie soule that gote the same by swett The néedie not vnlike deuise and seeke by subtile drifts To scrape for coyne and gaine to winne do séeke vngodly shifts So charitie excluded is and loue is kept aloofe And right is wronged through rewarde as falleth still in proofe And Userie about the Towne is maintaind as a trade And equitie to ease the wrong in matters dares not wade But well the Sinne shall not be hid nor cloked from the vew I will explane the practise here in wordes that doe ensew The Cormoraunt that coucheth â—vp and crams his cankerd bags Doth giue to hoord his gotten coyne and bowte the towne he lags To Broker doth he bende his course or happly vnto him The Broker bannes and weanes a mate for purpose very trim And twene them two are craftes conueyd and foxy falshoode wrought Twene them are traps so framed that thereby is Nummus caught O God what gaine doth guilefull gnuffe by loane of Nummus raise How doth he nick the debter now by hault exacting wayes Ten powndes in hundred nothing is â–ª and twentie is but small For halfe in halfe full oftentimes in loane among doth fall A siely man constraind of late to borowe for his neede Repaird vnto a Marchant man to borowe on his deede The Marchant as it is of course had Money none to lende But wares he proferd willingly and Dettor in the ende The same became and tooke to loane as much as did amount To thirty poundes of currant coyne by Marchantmans account Which wares so taken vp to loane to Broker are they brought The Broker to the Marchaunt he of whome the same were bought Full falsely doth returne them streight who now twise gaynes thereby For fyrste he soulde and now eftsoones the same agayne doth buye So that when this our siely soule should rayse thereof the summe Aboue the price of twenty pounde the credit will not come For ten in thirty could vouchsafe the Creditor to haue For recompence in Usurie O carelesse cankerd slaue O cawty cutthroate cullion wretch O Caterpyllers Féere O miserable Murtherer Canst thou abyde this geare ¶ The time is now at hande wherein thou straight account shalt make Wherin thou shalt Hell fire gain for gaine that thou didst take O Userer thou Sathans thrall and Butcher of the Fiende Thy Golde shall be transformde to muck thy plagues shall neuer ende But as thou doost thy Ocker vse t' oppresse thy neighbour héere Euen so the scorching flames of Hell thy caytyfe corps shall déere Thy rusty hoorde ascendes the skie thy dettors harme doth mount Unto the high supernall seate to call thée to account Thou greedy Gleade thou huÌ„gry Hawke thou starueling Uultures mate How darste thou thus by rauine séeke to maintaine thine estate I sée how thou canst soare aloft like hungry Hawke tespye And catching Kite when pray shal spring for beste game bent to flye I sée thy subtile lagging pace and craftie colourde guile I sée thy false dissembling sleight I sée thy playted wile Thou hast deuised by the Month for gaine to let thy ware Thy money eke from month to month thou canst right well forbeare But for eche shilling Caytife thou in surplysage wilt take A penie and of twentie shillings twentie pennies make And in that rate for fortie pounde so lent out in a yéere Thou wilt receiue twise forty pounds of lawfull Money cléere Thou wéenst to welter here for aye and wallowe in thy welth Thou neuer thinkst to sée the daye to part from this thy pelth But I will tell thée Cormorant thou fell and egre droane Eche pennie shall accountaunt be which thou hast let in loane And though as now the law be thine to laye beneath thy foote Yet then the furyes by decrée shall rende thy hart at roote When as the libell of thy lust and bayliwick abusde Shall thée condempne to Limboe pit and scalding lake confusde FINIS The Aucthor vpon the Booke in the defence of the gouernement of the Citie TWo sortes of men repaire vnto this Booke The one to carpe and cauell at my wordes The other through delyght thereon doth looke And reading it true iudgement well afordes He deemeth straight when haply I reproue That mine intent is vices to remoue But nowe tappease and satisfie the minde Of such as rashly ronne with open mouth At my reproofe which often here they finde I thus much say to them in my behoue I meane I touch I quip no priuate man For hate ne spite since first my worke began Nor yet doo I with chyldish rage stird vp Seeke to deface a worthy common state Of such as seldome drinke of sinfull Cup By matter such as I doo here debate For I protest I know no matter why I should so doo sith no man can deny That in the Towne are diuers sortes of men By whome the vertuous are supported styll With whome the wicked may at no tyme blen Their noysome drifts nor work the thing that 's yll By whome the poore and needie are sustainde And eke with whom true zeale hath styl remainde I meane both Judge Phistion Lawyer and The Marchaunt whom euen all I must commend With other else which in my Booke do stande I say of them there be whome to defende I neede not here Their lyues auoyde the blame And through good lyfe they wyn immortall fame FINIS Gentle Reader for the fillinge vp of emptie pages this letter written by the Author to his friende lying at the point of death is inserted SIr howe and in what wise euery man shoulde beare him selfe towarde his friende in time of health in time of prosperitie and strengthe moste men knowe yea suche is the