Maister G. R. THe curtesies yée haue to me profest The bounty great that doth from you procéed Woulde make me déeme that day to be most blest In which I might stand you in any stéede When if I flinch cry on me open shame And where you come doe bafful my good name If yée doe muse that I but now begin For to expresse that heart hath long concealde Assure your selfe my secrete thought within So pricke me foorth it néedes must be reuealde And eke desire doth bid me let you know The loyall zeale and duety that Iowe As I confesse there is not in me ought To answeare that my Velle would fulfill So make account right farre hée must be sought That doth surmount or passe me in goodwill Which as in wordes I haue geuen out to some My déedes shal try if once occasion come A crew there are whose nature is to gloze And vaunt in words when heart thinks nothing lesse Assure your selfe that I am none of those But will performe what here I doe professe If that I shrink when you haue cause to rid me Doe cast me off and vtterly denie me Of fortunes giftes since slender is my part Take here in signe of happy yéere at hand These ragged lines true herauldes of my heart By which yée may my meaning vnderstand Their maister hath geuen them in charge to tel When he would worst y ◠hée doth wish you wel A Translation out of French O Heauenly God all beastes that doe remayne And nourisht are with foode that thou doest send Within the wooddes the mountaynes and the playne Thy holy hest and lawes doe not offende The scudding fish that swimmes amidst the Sea The pretie birdes that play them in the ayre Sunne moone and starres ech thing doth thée obey And at thy voyce doe tremble all for feare But man alas yea man whom thou doest make More perfect farre then all things els that liue Man whom thou wouldst thy proper shape to take To whom for guyde thou reason eke didst geue And wit and sense for to discerne aright What thing to take what likewise to refuse He he vile wretch and most vnthankefull wight Thy maiesty and honour doth abuse A Complaint of a Sinner O Lord most deare w t many a teare lamenting lamēting I fall before thy face And for ech crime done ere this time repenting repenting Most humbly call for grace Through wanton will I must confesse Thy precepts still I doe transgresse The world with his vayne pleasure Be witcht my senses so That I could find no leasure My vices to forgoe I graunt I haue through my deserte Deserud great plagues and bitter smart But yet swéet God doe stay thy rod forgeue me forgeue me Which doe thine ayde implore O cease thine ire I thée desire beléeue me beleue me I will so sinne no more But still shall pray thy holy name In the right way my steppes to frame So shall I not displease thee Which art my Lord of might My heart and tongue shall prayse thée Most humbly day and night I will delight continually Thy name to lawde and magnify With sighes sobs my heart it throbs remembring remembring The fraylty of my youth I ran a race deuoyd of grace not rendring not rendring Due reuerence to thy truth Such care I cast on earthly toyes That nought I past for heauenly ioyes But now it me repenteth My heart doeth bléede for woe Which inwardly lamenteth That euer it sinned so With many a sigh and many a grone O Lord to thée I make my mone Though furious fires of fond desires allure me allure me From thée so wander wyde Let pitifull eyes and moystened eyes procure thée procure thée To be my Lorde and guyde As Scripture sayth thou doest not craue A sinners death but wouldest him saue That sinfull wretch am I O Lorde Which would repent and liue With ceaslesse plaints I cry Lorde Thy pardon to me geue O Lord for thy swéete Iesu sake Doe not shut vp thy mercie gate Mercy mercy mercy graunt me I pray thée I pray thée Graunt mercy louing Lorde Let not the Diuel which meanes me euill betray me betray mee Protect me with thy worde So shall my heart find swéete reliefe Which now féeles smart and bitter griefe O Lord I doe request thée To guyde my steppes so well That when death shall arest me My soule with thée may dwell In heauen aboue where Angels sing Continuall prayse to thée theyr king A Dumpe THE pangues the priuie mones The inward secrete smarte The griefes the heauie grones That vexe my dolefull heart So plundge my life in paines And reaue mée of all ioy That death is onely meanes To ridde me from anoy I graunt that vitall breath preserueth life in me Yet liue I so that death more welcome farre should be No wight was euer so perplexed with despite I liue to tast ech woe and die to all delight Although by outward looks some déeme me void of thought Lookes are no certayne bookes but beare false titles oft For sundry times I iest when ioy alas is small And laugh amongst the rest yet haue no lust at all Loe thus in secret strife my lingring dayes are led I die yet am aliue I liue as being dead The more I beare it out as if I felt no yll The greater griefes no doubt doe grow within me still The thing which doth amate and most anoy my mind Is that my hard estate no remedy can finde As one that loathes to liue and daily calles for death These lines to thée I geue in witnesse of my fayth A Dumpe by his friende G. C. MY heauy heart in dolours drownde Consumes and pines away And for me wreth nought can be found To cause my cares decay Yée eyes of mine helpe to bewayle Powre foorth your brinish teares To rue alas his wretched state In whom no ioy appeares How should I wretch take any rest How can my heart féele ioy When as the wight that loues mée best Lyes plundged in annoy Whereto serue teares but to bewayle The losse of such a friend Wéepe eies alas wéepe on your fill And neuer make an end His troubled state if to redresse The spending of my blood Or that small pelfe that I possesse Could doe him any good Then should your eies somtimes permit Mée silly wretch to sléepe But out alas it may not bée Wherefore cease not to wéepe Such inward griefe doth mée assayle Through thought of his estate That if I long of succour fayle All helpe will come too late O sacred Ioue to cure these woes Vse thou some spéedie meanes Or els alas with some short death Dispatch mée of these paines For his friend LAte being new fangled so fancie did moue I was fast entangled in nets of blinde loue Good friends doe beléeue me I chose out a trull Which daily doth giue me a shrewd crow to pull Fauour with her felowes raisde coales of desire Bewtie was the bellowes that
not rather rome abroad To séeke some pleasaunt sporte Then to be pend in study fast Like souldier in a forte To hawke to hunt to carde to dice To sing to daunce to play And can there bée more pleasaunt meanes To driue away the day To tosse the buckler and the blade Lewd women to entice Are not these vertues most estéemde And had in greatest price To lend ech man a firiendly looke And vse the glosers arte In outward shew to beare good will And hate him with our heart Are not such men as flatter best In euery coast estéemde Is not Tom teltroath euery where A busie cockscombe déeme It is a world to sée the sotte To haue a checke hée knowes And yet the noddy neuer linnes Mens vices to disclose Hée euer telles men of their faultes Such is his rude behauiour When hée by speaking nought at all Might purchase greater fauour Who countes it not a wisemans parte To runne with hare and hound To say and vnsay with one breath So winning may bée found Wherefore reioyce set cocâ—e on hoope Let nothing make thée sad Bée mery héere when thou art dead No mirth can then bée had Thus wanton will would euery day Still whisper in mine eare And wit which could not then be heard Was fled I know not where Who tries the hazard of the seas By sturdy tempest tost If that a drunkard guide their ship Are they not quickly lost How like I pray you is hée then Toâ— suffer shipwracke still VVhose wit and wisdome gouernde is By his vnruly will This Pilot vile in mée long time Did maisters roome supply Till good Aduice did tell mée plaine I ranne my course awry Hée spyed a time to breake his minde When Will was gone apart And thus to mée he did vnfolde The secretes of his heart O Man for whome Christ on the crosse His precious blood did spill What dost thou meane in mundane toyes To spend thy time so ill Dost thou not thinke that God hath eies To sée thy vile abuse What shew of reason canst thou bring Thy rashnes to excuse Did Christ sustaine must bitter death All sinneâ—â— to redâ—eme And wilt thou wallow still in lust And not his lawes estéeme If he by death and no meanes els Mens sinfull soules could saue Doest thou then thinke by wanton life Eternall ioyes to haue Too too too much thou art deceaude If so thou doe beléeue That he to haue men liue in vice Himselfe to death would geue With vpright eye peruse his lawes And thou shalt cléerely sée Into what sinkes of deadly sinne Thy will hath carried thée Thine eyes doe sée thine eares doe heare Thy senses all doe serue thée Yet canst thou neyther heare nor sée Such thinges as should preserue thée In earthly toyes thou canst discerne That which may best auayle thée But in such thing as touch thy soule Thy eyesight still doeth fayle thée O what a madnesse moues thy minde Thou séest and hast thy senses Yet wilt thou blindly wallow still In filth of vile â—ffences It better were for one to be Of sight depriued cléere Then sée to sinne and not sée that Which chiefly should be séenâ— Take héede therefore at length repent Its better late then neuer For Christ the Cockle from the corne At haruest will disseuer At day of doome the good and bad Shall not alike remayne The good shall taste vncessant ioyes The bad eternall payne Doste thinke that such as tospotlike Set all at sixe and seuen Are in a ready way to bring Their sinfull soules to heauen And those that in great Princes Courtes Doe Ruffian like behaue them Doste déeme that they thereby procure A ready meane to saue them To sweare to stare to bib bowse To flatter glose and lye Is this tell me the stedfast fayth That men are saued by If white be blacke if night be day If true pretence bée treason If fire be colde if senselesse things Fulfill the rule of reason Then may the pleasures of this worlde Be cause of our saluation For otherwise thou must confesse They further our damnation Take héede therefore and warned thus Let not the worlde beguile thée Ne let the lustes of lawlesse flesh With sinfull déedes defile thée Let wilfull will be banisht cleane With all his wanton toyes Which filles thy head with vayne delightes In stéede of stedfast ioyes Note well my wordes still serue the Lorde Repent and sinne no more Christ hath for true repentaunt heartes Great mercie still in store When good aduice had tolde this tale Prostrate I downe did fall And humbly holding vp my handes Thus on the Lorde did call OMighty God which for vs men Didst suffer on the Crosse The payneful pangues of bitter death To saue our soules from losse I yéeld thée héere most hearty thankes In that thou doest vouchsaue Of me most vile and sinfull wretch So great regard to haue Alas none euer had more cause To magnifie thy name Then I to whom thy mercies shewde Doe witnesse well the same So many brunts of fretting foes Who euer could withstand If thou hadst not protected me with thy most holy hand A thousand times in shamefull sort My sinfull life had ended If by thy gratious goodnesse Lorde I had not byn defended In stinking pooles of filthy vice So déepely was I drownde That none there was but thée alone To set my foote on ground Whenas the fiend had led my soule Euen to the gates of hell Thou caldst mée backe and doest me choose In heauen with thée to dwell Let furies now fret on their fill Let Sathan rage and rore As long as thou art on my side What néede I care for more MY Prayer sayde me thought I felt Such quiet in my mynde As shipmen after tempest past In wished harbour finde My wil woulde then no more presume To rule in reasons place For good aduice would bée at hand His doyngs to disgrace Who tolde me playne that wanton will Did alwayes serue the Diuell And was his busiest instrument To stirre vp men to euill Although the gallant be so braue And sell such pleasures here They that best cheape doe buy the same Shall find it all too déere Yet they that woulde aduenture there The Diuell and all may gayne With euery inch of pleasant ioyes He selles ten Elles of payne If that thou wisely wilt foresée Such winnings to eschew Ere beggery take thée by the backe Doe byd the Court adew Hencefoorth exile vile wanton will Which is thy chéefest foe Goe get thée home liue to thy selfe And let all courting goe Experience now should make thée know What vice in court doth rayne And tract of time shoulde teach thée shunne Her pleasures mixt with payne Though some may dayly there be séene That follow vertue still Which honour God obey their Prince And flie from dooyng ill Yet sure of them the greatest parte Are carried so away With vayne delightes that they ne thinke Nor mynde their soules decay O that
soyle wherein they were planted which had it byn better their vertue would haue proued to be greater Though al the flowers herein contayned carie one name yet eche of thé differs from other both in colour and sauour the better to satisfie the diuersitie of eyes that shall view them and variety of noses that shall smell them Nowe if the spider shall happen to sucke any poyson out of them let not the flowers be the worse thought of but consider that it is his propertie to doe the like out of the most pure and delectable flowers that euer were And God in geuing vnto her and other such like creatures this nature doeth no lesse manifest his omnipotent power herein then in his other wonderful works For reason telleth experience teacheth that in this vale of misery there is nothing so beautifull but that it hath some blemish nor so pure but that it sauours of some imperfection so that as long as the world is a world corruption must continue amongst vs. Which filthy dregs poysoned humors if they were not in parte drawen drayned away by the venomous beastes and wormes of the earth they woulde a great deale more annoy vs then now they doe And it is to be doubted whether life could any long time be conserued a mogst vs. I might here take occasion to liken the crew of curious carpers which more of malice then good meaning accustomed to cauel at other mens doings playing the ydle drones themselues to the venomous beastes wormes before spoken of Whom for their congruity in condition and affinity in disposition I might bring them within the compas of one cōparison conclude that both the one the other are necessary euils But leste that the old prouerb be obiected agaynst me Ne sutor vltra crepitam let the Gardiner meddle no farther thē his spade I wil leaue thē to theyr predecessor Zoilus whose apes they are in imitating his conditions returne agayne to my Gillowflowers eft foones beseeching your worship to accept those that I present you with no lesse thākfulnes then the Gardiner doth offer them willingly wherof he doubtes not calling to minde your accustomed curtesie In one thing I haue vsed suche circumspection as my simple skill would permit me which is that the beauty of my flowers be not blemished with the weedes of wantonnesse that cōmonly grow in such gardens I hope therfore ye shal finde them rooted out in such sort that if there remayne any my trust is they shall not fall out to be many The onely thing that I doubt of this in my dedication is that your worshipp shall haue cause to account mee a deepe dissembler and one that hath byn more lauish in promise then he is able to pay with performance For whereas by my former speeches yee might peraduenture looke for some delicate Gillowflowers it will fall out to be but a coppy of my countenance hauing done nothing els but as the fashion of the worlde is now adayes set a good face on a bad matter For to deale plainly with you I was neuer Gardiner in all my life And the thing that I here present you with is but a collection of such verses and odde deuises as haue at such idle howres as I founde in my maister his seruice vpon sundry occasions by me byn cōposed The one I confesse farre vnworthy your view and yet such as when ye shal returne home weeried from your fielde sportes may yeelde you some recreation The chiefe marke that I leuel at is the continuance of your woorships curtesie and good minde towardes me which as they haue already surmounted the reach of my deserts so if I might enioy the fruition of them hereafter in that fulnesse which I hope for I shall account all the duetifull endeuour that I can possibly shew you insufficient for the satisfaction of the least part of them Thus for feare of being tedious I ende wishing your worship with my good mistres your wife all yours many yeeres of prosperitie with dayly increase of worship heauen for your hauen to rest in when the daungerous sea of this life shalbe ouer sailed Yours in all dutifulnesse HG D     DOe guide my pathes O Lorde my God    T  that I walke not astray O    O who can mount thy holy hill    E  Except thou leade the way R    Renew me with such grace that I    M  May learne thy lawes aright O    Order my steppes so shal I be    P  Preserued day and night T    The wicked Serpent euery houre    E  Endeuours me to spil H    Haste to my helpe so shall I Lorde    R  Right well eschew the il Y    In thee I put mine onely trust    A  Assist me then at neede S    Stand on my side but thee alone    N  None els my sute can speede A    Amidst the sea of sinne and death    C  Continually we ride M    Making still shipwracke of our soules    E  except thou be our guide V    Vnto the Lorde with humble sute    I  I lift my heart and handes E    Encline thine eares to my request    V  Vnlose my sinfull bandes L    Let not vile Satans crafty traynes    S  So sore our soules assayle D    Doe thou protect vs with thy shield    T  Then shal he not preuayle A    As to a Rocke of safe refuge    I  I stil to thee doe fly N    None els there is I know that can    C  Cause al my sinnes to die I    I doe confesse my force is weake    E  Encrease my fayth O Lorde E    Expel from meal heresies    P  Protect me with thy worde L    Let not the fiende that seekes my foyle    R  Reioyce at my decay D    Doe make mee strong in liuely fayth    V  Vnto thee still I pray A    All trueth al good and godly deedes    D  Doe still proceede from thee N    No man can thinke one holy thought    E  Except their guide thou bee V    Vnlesse thou Lord doe giue increase    N  No fruite our deedes bring forth E    Esteemd we are as rotten weedes    C  Corrupt and nothing worth R    Remember not my sinnes forepast    E  Eluminate my wayes S    So shall I still with heart and voyce    G  Giue thee all laud and prayes H    Happy are they that doe thee serue    I  In thought and eke in deede V    Vnturned neuer is thy face    F  From them in time of neede M    Make Lord in mee a stedfast fayth    F  For euer to abyde F    Frame still my lyfe to keepe thy lawes    A  And I shall neuer slide R    Remoue from me all errors blockes    R  Right so shall I remaine I    In perfect footesteppes of thy paths    D  Deuoyde of worldly paine To his approued friend SErue God SErue God thy Lord delight to kéepe his lawes alwaies Alwayes haue care to doe his holy hest Commit Commit not that which may his anger cause no euil No euill then déere friend can thée molest Still feare Still feare and minde the dreadfull iudgement day to sinne To sinne bréedes
death but mercie doe require defie Defie such thinges as worke thy soules decay the diuell The diuel so shall léese his chiefe desire If thou If thou wilt spend thy dayes in great content praise God Praise God ech houre serue him in feare and dread with hearte With heart contrite thy former sinnes lament and minde And minde hence forth a better life to lead Great ioyes Great ioyes the Lord as his pure word doth say in heauen In heauen aboue for good men hath preparde thy soule Thy soule when that this life shall passe away shall finde Shall finde such blisse as cannot bée declarde The life of man metaphorically compared to a shippe sayling on the seaes in a tempest HAste homewardes man draw néerer to the shore The skies doe scowle the windes doe blow amaine The raged rockes with rumbling noyse doe rore The foggie clowdes doe threaten stormes of raine Ech thing foreshewes a tempest is at hand Hoyst vp thy sayles and haste to happy land In worldly seaes thy silly ship is tost With waues of woe besette on euery side Blowne héere and there in daunger to bée lost Darke clowdes of sinne doe cause thée wander wide Vnlesse thy God pitie some on thée take On rockes of rueth thou néedes must shipwrack make Cut downe the mast of rancour and debate Vnfraight the shippe of all vnlawfull wares Cast ouer boorde the packes of hoorded hate Pumpe out fowle vice the cause of many cares If that some léeke it make thée stand in doubt Repentaunce serues to stoppe the water out Let Gods pure word thy line and compasse bée And stedfast fayth vse thou in anckors stéede Lament thy sinnes then shalt thou shortly sée That power diuine will helpe thée forth at néede Fell Sathan is chiefe rular of these seas Hée séekes our wracke hée doth these tempestes rayse In what wée may let vs alwayes represse The furious waues of lust and fond desire A quiet calme our conscience shall possesse if wée doe that which dutie doeth require By godly life in fine obtaine wée shall the porte of blisse to which God send vs all A dolefull Dumpe WHo so doth mone and lackes a mate to bée partaker of his woe And will discourse of his estate Let him and I together goe And I will make him graunt in fine his griefe to bée farre lesse then mine Perhappes hée wil to win the best paint forth what pangs oppresse his minde How that hée féeles no quiet rest how fortune is to him vnkind And how hée pines in secréet griefe and findes no meanes for his reliefe These and such like a number will alleadge to witnes their distresse Some rolle vp stones against the hill with Sisiphus some eke expresse That like to Tantalus they fare and some with Yxion doe compare But I not onely féele the smart of al those euilles rehearsed before But tast the forment in my heart of thousand times as many more So that the worst of their annoyes Is best and chiefest of my ioyes I neuer fed on costly meate Since that this griefe opprest mée first Dole is the dainties that I eate And trickling teares doe coole my thirst Care is my caruing knife God wot Which dayly séekes to cut my throte Muse not that héere I secret kéepe The cause that first procurde my griefe What doeth it boote a man to wéepe When that his teares finde no reliefe Contentes mée onely this repose That death ere long will end my woes In praise of the contented minde IF all the ioyes that worldly wightes possesse Were throughly scand and pondred in their kindes No man of wit but iustly must confesse That they ioy most that haue contented mindes And other ioyes which beare the name of ioyes Are not right ioyes but sunneshines of anoyes In outward view wée sée a number glad Which make a shew as if mirth did abound Whē pinching grief within doth make them sad And many a one in these dayes may bée had Which faintly smile to shroud their sorowes so When oftentimes they pine in secréet woe But euery man that holdes himselfe content And yéeldes God thankes as dutie doth require For all his giftes that hée to vs hath sent And is not vext with ouer great desire And such I say most quietly doe sléepe When fretting cares doth others waking kéepe What doth auaile huge heapes of shining golde Or gay attyre or stately buildinges braue If worldly pelfe thy heart in bondage holde Not thou thy goodes thy goodes make thée their slaue For gréedie men like Tantalus doe fare In midst of wealth they néedie are and bare A warie héede that thinges go not to losse Doth not amisse so that it kéepe the meane But still to toyle and moyle for worldly drosse And tast no ioy nor pleasure for our paine In carke and care both day and night to dwell Is nothing els but euen a very hell Wherefore I say as erst I did beginne Contented men enioy the greaetst blisse Let vs content our selues to flye from sinne And still abide what Gods good pleasure is If ioy or paine if wealth or want befall Let vs bée pleasde and giue God thankes for all In the praise of Friendship REueale O tongue the secretes of my thought Tel forth the game that perfect friendship brings Expresse what ioyes by her to man are brought Vnfolde her prayse which glads all earthly things If one might say in earth a heauen to bée It is no doubt where faythfull friendes agrée To all estates true friendship is a stay To euery wight a good and welcome guest Our life were death were shée once tane away Consuming cares would harbour in our brest Fowle malice eke would banish al delight And puffe vs vp with poyson of despight If that the séedes of enuie and debate Might yéelde no fruite but wither and decay No canckred mindes would hoorde vp heapes of hate No hollow hearts dissembling partes should play No clawback then would fawne in hope of méede Such life to lead were perfect life in déede But nowadayes desire of worldly pelfe With all estates makes friendship very colde Few for their friendes ech shifteth for himselfe If in thy purse thou hast good store of golde Full many a one thy friendship will imbrace Thy wealth once spent they turne away their face Let vs still pray vnto the Lord aboue For to relent our hearts as hard as stone That through the world one knot of loyall loue In perfect trueth might linke vs all in one Then should wée passe this life without annoyes And after death possesse eternall ioyes A commendation of Peace WHen boyling wrath perturbs mās troubled brest Outraging will bids reasons lore adue Turmoyling cares bereaue all quiet rest And hastie yre makes harmefull happes ensue Great stormes of strife are raisd through dire debate But golden peace preserues the quiet state A gift diuine than precious pearle more worth Is blessed peace to discord deadly foe Most plenteous fruits this
Now broyled so in his breast That nought but Camna could restore Sinoris wonted rest Resolued fully was he then To take this dame to wife Though baser in degrée When no meanes els could serue his turne To cracke her honestie Then suite was made vnto her friendes Who waying well his wealth Would haue her néedes consent Shée after great denialles made At length did séeme content Sinoris when he heard this newes Was passing measure glad And order gaue in al post hast For mariage to bée had To temple of Diana then VVith spéede these couple goe And with them sundry worthy wightes The mariage rites to doe In outward shew shée did expresse Great signes of mirth and ioy But in her heart shée did contriue This tyrant to destroy Ere that they fully were assurde Chast Camna bad one bring To her a drinking glasse Of which shée must to husband drinke As there the custome was She tempred had a pleasaunt drinke VVith balefull poyson strong Of which shée dranke one part And to Sinoris gaue the rest VVhich so did pricke his heart That Phisickes skill could not preuaile To saue his vading life VVhich well did please the minde of her That then should be his wife When Camna saw that her deuice Did frame euen as shée would She gréetes Dianas Image there VVith thankes a thousand folde And méekely knéeling on her knées Ah Goddesse then she sayde Thou knowest from murdring of my selfe How hardly I haue stayde Thou knowest quoth shée what bitter pangues Hath gripte my heart with griefe Since my deare husbands death And onely hope of iust reuenge Prolonged hath my breath VVhich since I see now come to passe VVith gladnesse will I die And séeke that soule to finde In life and death which then my selfe To me was déerer friend And thou thou caitife vile quoth shée Which didst my mariage craue In stéede now of a mariage bed Prepare thy selfe a graue But séeing then Sinoris dead To husbandes sprite shée cryed Oh let not thy swéete company To mée now be denied Come méete me now my louing mate Who still I tender most And saying so her armes abroad She yéelded vp the Ghost Amery lest SOmetimes in France a woman dwelt Whose husband being dead Within a yéere or somwhat more An other did her wed This good wife had of wealth great store Yet was her wit but thin To shew what happe to her befell My Muse doth now begin It chaunced that a scholler poore Attirde in course aray To sée his friends that dwelt farre thence From Paris tooke his way The garments were all rent and torne Wherwith this wight was clad And in his purse to serue his néede Not one denéere he had Hée was constrainde to craue the almes Of those which oft would giue His néedy and his poore estate With some thing to relieue This scholler on a frostie morne By chaunce came to the doore Of this old silly womans house Of whome wée spake before The husband then was not at home Hée craueth of the dame Who had him in and gaue him meate And askt from whence hée came I came quoth hée from Paris towne From Paradise quoth she Men call that Paradise the place Where all good soules shalbe Cham zure my vurst goodman is dere Which died this other yéere Chould geue my friend a good gray groate Some newes of him to heare Hée saw shée did mistake his wordes And thought to make some glée And saide your husband is in health I lately did him sée Now by my troth quoth shée cham glad Good scholler doe declare Was not hée wroth because I sent Him from this world so bare In déede quoth he he was disppleasd And thought it farre vnméete You hauing all to send him hence With nothing but a shéete Quoth shée good scholer let me know When thou returnst agayne Hée answerd Dame I will be there Within this wéeke or twayne Shée sayde my friend if that iche durst Presume to be so bolde Chould pray thée carrie him some clothes To keepe him from the colde Hée saide he woulde with all poste haste Into the towne shée hies Hat doublet shert coate hose and shoes Shée there for husband buyes Shée praying him in earnest sorte It safely to conuey Did geue him money in his purse And so he went his way Not halfe of halfe an howre was past Ere husband hers was come What newes shée heard from Paradise Shée tolde him all and some And farther did to him declare What token shée had sent Whereat her husband waxed wroth And woondrous ill content He calde her sotte and doating foole And after him doth ride The Scholler was within a Hedge And him a farre espide Hée was afrayde and downe doeth fling His fardell in a dike The man came néere andaskt him newes Of one whom hée did séeke That bare a fardell at his backe The scholler musde a while Then answearing said such one I saw Passe ouer yonder style With hasty spéede he downe alightes And doth the scholler pray Till he the man had ouertane So long the horse to stay Vntill hée passed out of sight Full still the scholer bides Who taking then his fardell on His horse away he rides When he returnd and saw himselfe By scholer flouted so Your selues may iudge what chéere he made If he were wroth or no. He sware I thinke a hundred oathes At length per mundum toots For that he had no shoes to weare Martch homewardes in his bootes His wife did méete him at the doore Hayée cought man quoth shée No Dame he sayde he caught my horse The Diuel take him and thée With that shée laught and clapt her hands And sayde cham glad ich sweare For nowe he hath a horse to ride He wilbe quickly there When that her husband well had wayde That remedy there was none He takes his fortune in good parte And makes no farther mone Now whether that this honest wife Did loue her first good man To such as shall peruse this tale The case I leaue to scan To his friend IF thou wilt shun the pricking briers And thornie cares that folly bréedes Put bridle to thy fond desires Make reason mistres of thy déedes Attempt nothing by rash aduice If thou thus doe then art thou wise Where Wit to Will is slaue and thrall Where fond affection beareth sway Ten thousand mischiefes do befall And vertue cleane is cast away For hauing rashnes for their guide Such cannot choose but wander wyde Their credite quickly lies in dust Which yéelde as bondslaues to their will And follow euery foolish lust Such leaue the good and choose the yll The wayes of vertue those forgoe And tread the pathes of care and woe Wilt thou possesse eternall ioyes And porte of blisse at length attayne Still prayse the Lord with heart and voyce From doyng yll thy steppes refrayne These things obserude be sure at last In heauen with Christ thou shalt be plast A Newyeeres gift to