sig: [A1] | ||||
¶Spare your good | ||||
sig: [A1v] | ||||
EUen aboute the moneth of maye | ||||
I wene it was the thirde daye | ||||
Of that same moneth as I gesse | ||||
And so it was so haue I blesse | ||||
5 | For I knowe it well by a thinge | |||
Of the whiche I haue had knowledgynge | ||||
As here-after ye shall heare full well | ||||
Of a knightes sone how it befell | ||||
A riche knight there was in Fraunce I vnderstande | ||||
10 | And was a man of greate lande | |||
And hyght syr Thomas_perlore | ||||
A sone he had with his wyfe and no more | ||||
And she was called faire Ysaungrayne | ||||
And their sone called Rafelyne | ||||
15 | And of this childe ye shall heare | |||
And of his father and his mother dere | ||||
Of his father he was lefe and dere | ||||
So was he of his mother I you ensere | ||||
So it happened vpon a daye | ||||
20 | That this yonge-man shoulde sporte and playe | |||
His father bade hym go amonge wyse-men | ||||
That he might learne some good of them | ||||
But this yunge-man him bethought | ||||
That after his fathers counsell he wold do nought | ||||
25 | But to yll company he him drewe | |||
And learned all vyce and lefte vertue | ||||
Tyll father and mother were deade | ||||
Than coulde he none other rede | ||||
But burye them after the comune vse | ||||
30 | Other sorowe woulde he none vse | |||
sig: A2 | ||||
But forth he wente to his company anone | ||||
And saide sirs let vs be mery euerychone | ||||
Syr they saide welcome be ye truely | ||||
And we all praye you hartely | ||||
35 | To syt by vs and kepe company | |||
So he did and thanked them hertely | ||||
They called anone for meate and drincke of the beste | ||||
For to eate and drincke as them lest | ||||
And whan they had eaten and dronken theyr fyll | ||||
40 | Syr they saide knowe ye nothinge of oure wyll | |||
No by my faith he saide incontinente | ||||
But by saint Thomas of kente | ||||
I woulde haue at the hasarde a cast or two | ||||
For to learne to caste the dyce to and fro | ||||
45 | And if here be any-body that wyll for money playe | |||
I haue yet in my purse money and pledges gaye | ||||
Some be nobles, some be crownes of Fraunce | ||||
Haue at all who wyll of this daunce | ||||
One of them answered with that worde | ||||
50 | And caste a bale of dyce on the borde | |||
And saide maister Rafeleyne wyll ye haue a fytte | ||||
Haue at all yf ye wyll sytte | ||||
Maister Rafeleyne drewe to his pouche | ||||
Tyll he had loste coyne and owche | ||||
55 | Than he drewe out pledges fresshe and gaye | |||
Tyll all was gone and played awaye | ||||
Home he goeth lyke as he were out of his minde | ||||
And solde al his goodes before and behynde | ||||
And to harlotes he goeth and to baudes bolde | ||||
60 | For he thought his money shoulde euer holde | |||
sig: [A2v] | ||||
To the tauerne and to the bordell he him drest | ||||
For al that his felowship did counsel him for the best | ||||
But at the laste whan all was gone | ||||
Than he began to make his mone | ||||
65 | Like as here-after ye shal vnderstande | |||
Therfore spare your good that ye haue in hande. | ||||
¶Thus endeth the prologue |
||||
ALas my good is spente I haue no more | ||||
Therfore I am troubled sore | ||||
With great greuaunce in my herte-rote | ||||
To spende a pounde was but a small note | ||||
5 | Lyke as I was vsed to do here and there | |||
Therfore I must now mirth forbeare | ||||
Whyche here-before I did not vnderstande | ||||
Therfore spare your good that ye haue in hande. | ||||
What shall I now begin to do alace | ||||
10 | Here-before I might go in euery place | |||
Wyth the best where-so-euer they wente | ||||
Vnto the wine, to the good ale, or to the bere al vnshent | ||||
But for-bycause gyue no more I maye | ||||
Muste I be caste out of al game and play | ||||
15 | In my greuaunce is no remedy I vnderstand | |||
Therfore spare your good that ye haue in hande | ||||
What auayleth it me to crye or to complayne then | ||||
Whan my frendes and also my kynnesmen | ||||
Maie neither se me nor heare me | ||||
20 | Therfore thincke I of them but lytell comforted to be | |||
Thus haue I spente al my good out-right | ||||
sig: A3 | ||||
Wyth playenge, wyth drinkynge day and night | ||||
Which euery wise-man wil not do I vnderstande | ||||
Therfore spare your good that ye haue in hand. | ||||
25 | Neuer I coulde perceyue this great charge | |||
But my luste hath brought me in this rage | ||||
The whiche I begin now to vnderstand | ||||
That money is lorde of all the lande | ||||
For-bycause I haue not hadde this in remembraun[ce] right margin trimmed | ||||
30 | Therfore pouertie and miserye is fall to my chaun[ce] right margin trimmed | |||
And am taken of no value I vnderstande | ||||
Therfore spare your good that ye haue in hande | ||||
I see that they with fingers point after me | ||||
The whyche here-before were vsed to prayse me | ||||
35 | And they let me passe by the dore | |||
The whiche I haue kepte good felowshippe to_fore | ||||
They mocke with me whiche I was wonte to trust[e] right margin trimmed | ||||
May not I haue great repentaunce of this luste | ||||
Ye and must suffre this I vnderstande | ||||
40 | Therfore spare your good that ye haue in hande | |||
Whan I was yonge and had good at wyll | ||||
And euery-body eate and drancke with me their fyll | ||||
Than they did cal me in euery place | ||||
Now they thincke I am not worth a lace | ||||
45 | Pouertye hath taken me with greate sorow | |||
I haue nothinge nor can nothinge borow | ||||
Thus haue I but yll fortune I vnderstande | ||||
Therefore spare your good that ye haue in hand | ||||
sig: [A3v] | ||||
[I] haue thought in my minde left margin trimmed here and below | ||||
50 | [C]oulde I any good get or find | |||
[I] woulde not caste it awaye euery-dele | ||||
[L]yke as my felowshippe did m[e] counsel me] my 1555 | ||||
[W]han I was vsed to beare money b[y] my syde by] be 1555 | ||||
[I] thought not that it shoulde thus from me slyde | ||||
55 | Thus was I not wyse I vnderstande | |||
Therefore spare your good that you haue in hande | ||||
[M]ight I yet that daye liue | ||||
That my frendes woulde me giue | ||||
Some-thinge where-with-all | ||||
60 | I might get richesse and honeste princypall | |||
I woulde thanke them nowe and than amonge | ||||
But certes my-thinketh they tary to longe | ||||
Therfore I must suffer be it swete or soure I vnderstand | ||||
Therfore spare your good that ye haue in hand | ||||
65 | Whan any-body hath any richesse | |||
Euery-body him worshippeth both more and lesse | ||||
But and he haue nothinge in value | ||||
He is nothinge sette by perdue | ||||
And if he come hyther or els-where | ||||
70 | Euerie-bodye fleeth from him as he the deuyll were | |||
Ful often chaungeth his courage I vnderstande | ||||
Therfore spare youre good that ye haue in hande. | ||||
He that hath nothinge is taken of no value | ||||
And wyll not do after good counsell perdue | ||||
75 | Lyke as of me ye maye example take | |||
Howe of ryot and other games was vsed to make | ||||
sig: [A4] | ||||
Who-so-euer in the worlde yf ryot me bethought | ||||
I coulde it lyghtly helpe for to be wrought | ||||
Whiche is now bitter, it was than swete at that st[ande] right margin trimmed here and below | ||||
80 | Therfore spare your good that ye haue in hande | |||
Wherfore sholde not I take now sorowe againe | ||||
Ye certes there is none that wyl me any-thing le[yn] | ||||
Euen thus the whele of fortune renneth | ||||
And if good-lucke dyd raine I sho[ul]de not be wet[te] shoulde] sholude 1555 | ||||
85 | If it be good-lucke or yll happe | |||
It commeth to him that shall haue it at a clappe | ||||
Euery-body maie se by me in this stande | ||||
Therfore spare your good that ye haue in hande | ||||
A man maye well a good felow be | ||||
90 | In the wine, in good ale, in bere where-so it be | |||
And yf he thinke for the comune profyte also | ||||
Here or there where-so-euer he go | ||||
Thus may a man haunte mirth and game | ||||
If he do it not by measure he is to blame | ||||
95 | For in euery-thinge measure is good I vnderstan[d] | |||
Therfore spare your good that ye haue in hand | ||||
Fare-well I sette you al this testamente | ||||
Who wyll learne this shall be vnshente | ||||
And can kepe him amonge good company | ||||
100 | Shall be fre of al sorowe and myserye | |||
Who-so-euer taketh this testamente in remembraunc[e] | ||||
Pouertye and myserye shall not fall to his chaunce | ||||
Hys good his worshippe shall he kepe I vnderstand | ||||
Therfore spare your good that ye haue in hande | ||||
FINIS sig:
[A4v] |
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Imprinted at London in Fletestrete next to Saint_Donstones Churche by Thomas_marshe |