sig: [A1] | |
¶The hye-way to the Spyttell hous. | |
¶Who-so hath lust, or wyll leaue his thryft | |
And wyll fynd no better way nor shyft | |
Come this hye-way, here to seke some rest | |
For it is ordeyned for eche vnthrifty gest. | |
sig: [A1v] | |
¶Prologue of Robert_Copland compyler and prynter of this boke. |
|
TO dyspyse poore folke is not my appetite | |
Nor suche as lyue / of veray almesdede | |
But myn intent is onely for to wryte | |
The mysery of suche as lyue in nede | |
5 | And all theyr lyfe in ydlenesse dooth lede |
Wherby dooth sue suche inconuenyence | |
That they must ende in meschaunt indygence | |
¶Chryst in this worlde ryght pouerte dyde sue | |
Gyuyng vs example to folowe that degre | |
10 | Sayng / beati pauperes spiritu |
Beati mites / beati mundo corde | |
Blyssed be they that poore in spyryte be | |
And ben clene in herte / and meke therwith-all | |
For they shall possede the realme celestyall | |
15 | ¶They be not poore that haue necessyte |
[If that they thynke that they haue competent] | |
Nor they be not ryche that haue grete plente | |
[Except therwith they ben ryght well content] In 1536 this line is transposed with line 16. | |
And euer pleased with that god hath them sent | |
20 | For surely it is our lordes ordynaunce |
That eche sholde be pleased with suffysaunce | |
¶That man that hath more than suffycyent | |
With goodes at wyll / and dayly d[o]th encrease doth] dyth 1536 | |
And euer is bare / hungry and indygent | |
25 | Scrapynge / and snudgynge / without ony cease snudgynge ='being miserly, stingy' |
Euer coueytynge the mynde hath no pease | |
But lyueth by rapyne and vsury | |
And careth not how he cometh therby | |
sig: A2 | |
¶Eke in dystres / doyng no benyfyte | |
30 | Letyng the poore / dye in great mysery |
His neyghbour in pryson / dooth not vysyte | |
Nor yet forgyue / small parcell of duety | |
Wery traueylers / in the stretes let ly | |
The deed bodyes / without ony buryall | |
35 | His goodes / his god / a man may full well call |
¶Of suche ryche men recyteth the gospell | |
Makyng lykenes of impossybylyte | |
Sayeng that more [e]asyly a great Camell easyly] casyly 1536 | |
May passe and go through a nedyls eye | |
40 | Than a ryche man in heuen for to be |
For who-so mysvseth that god hath hym sent | |
With cursed Diues in hell shalbe brent. | |
¶These trewant beggers begging fro place to place | |
Nor yet these nedy of all maner facyon | |
45 | These apprentyces that do renne from all grace |
These hyred seruaunts that kepe no condycion | |
Nor all that feyne parfyt deuocyon | |
Nor many other lyuyng in nede couert | |
Though they lacke good / be not poore of hert. | |
50 | ¶Se ye not dayly of all maner estate |
How in the lawe they trauers and coniect trauers and coniect ='dispute and plot' | |
How neyghbours do fall at anger and debate | |
Twene man [and] wyfe eke the lyfe imperfect and] 1536 omits | |
The father and chyld from quyetnes abiect | |
55 | And all for good / they make eche other smart |
Which is a sygne they be not poore of hart. | |
sig: [A2v] | |
¶If that our prynce do aske a subsedy | |
From our ennemyes vs to defend | |
Or yf our credytours demaund theyr duety | |
60 | To confesse pouerte than we do pretend |
But yf our neyghbour in ought vs offend | |
Than we fynd money to play ouerthwart | |
Which is a token we be not poore at hart | |
¶How many poore that haue lytell in store | |
65 | Is content with his small substaunce |
But euer they grudge and wysh for more | |
To be promoted and haue furtheraunce | |
The very beggers for theyr pytaunce | |
From bag and staffe are lothe for to depart | |
70 | Which is a token they be not poore at hart |
¶Of these two estates there be four degrees | |
A ryche ryche, a poore poore / a ryche poore also | |
A poore ryche in all necessytees | |
The two can agre / but the other no | |
75 | A proud hert / a beggers purs therto |
The ryche purs / and the poore spyryt | |
May well agre / and be in one parfyt. | |
¶Exhortacion of the compyler. |
|
¶I pray all you, which haue ynough with grace | |
For the loue of god, to do your charyte | |
And fro the poore, neuer turne your face | |
For Chryst sayth, what-euer that he be | |
5 | That to the least of myne, dooth in the name of me |
Unto my-self, I do accept the dede | |
And for rewarde my realme they shall possede. | |
¶Finis. |
|
sig: A3 | |
¶Here begynneth the casualyte casualyte ='unfortunate occurrence' | |
Of the entraunce in-to hospytalyte | |
TO wryte of Sol in his exaltacyon | |
Of his solstyce or declynacyon | |
Or in what sygne, planet, or degre | |
As he in course is vsed for to be | |
5 | Scorpio, pisces, or sagyttary |
Or whan the moone her way dooth contrary | |
Or her eclypse / her wane / or yet her full | |
It were but lost / for blockysh braynes dull | |
But playnly to say / euen as the tyme was | |
10 | About a fourtenyght after Halowmas |
I chaunced to come by a certayn spyttell | |
Where I thought best to tary a lyttell | |
And vnder the porche for to take socour | |
To byde the passyng of a stormy shour | |
15 | For it had snowen and frosen very strong |
With great ysesycles on the eues long | |
The sharp north wynd hurled bytterly | |
sig: [A3v] | |
And with blacke cloudes / darked was the sky | |
Lyke as in wynter / some days be naturall | |
20 | With frost and rayne / and stormes ouer-all |
So styll I stode / as chaunced to be | |
The porter of the hous / stode also by me | |
With whome I reasoned of many dyuers thynges | |
Touchyng the cours of all suche wetherynges | |
25 | And as we talked / there gat[h]ered at the gate gathered] gatered 1536 |
People as me-thought / of very poore estate | |
With bag and staf / both croked / lame / and blynde | |
Scabby and scuruy / pocke-eaten flesh and rynde | |
Lowsy and scalde / and pylled lyke as apes | |
30 | With scantly a rag / for to couer theyr shapes |
Brecheles / bare-foted / all stynkyng with dyrt | |
With .M. of tatters / drabblyng to the skyrt | |
Boyes / gyrles / and luskysh strong knaues | |
Dydderyng and dadderyng / leaning on their staues | |
35 | Sayng good mayster / for your moders blyssyng |
Gyue vs a halfpeny / toward our lodgyng | |
The porter sayd what nede you to craue | |
That in the spyttell shall your lodgyng haue | |
Ye shall be entreated / as ye ought to be | |
40 | For I am charged / that dayly to se |
The systers shall do theyr obseruaunce | |
As of the hous is the due ordynaunce. | |
¶Copland. |
|
¶Porter sayd I / gods blyssyng and our lady | |
Haue ye for spekyng so curteysly | |
45 | To these poore folke / and god his soule pardon |
That for theyr sake / made this foundacyon | |
But syr I pray you / do ye lodge them all | |
That do aske lodgyng in this hospytall? | |
¶Porter. |
|
sig: [A4] | |
¶Forsoth yea / we do all suche folke in take | |
50 | That do aske lodgyng for our lordes sake |
And in-dede it is our custome and vse | |
Somtyme to take in / and some to refuse. | |
¶Copland. |
|
¶Than is it comyn to euery wyght | |
How they lyue all day, to lye here at nyght | |
55 | As losels / myghty beggers / and vacabonds |
And trewands that walke ouer the londs | |
Mychers, hedgecrepers, / fylloks and luskes fylloks ='wanton young girls'; luskes ='idlers' | |
That all the somer kepe dyches and buskes | |
Lewtryng and wandryng fro place to place | |
60 | And wyll not work / but the bypaths trace |
And lyue with Haws, and hunt the blakbery | |
And with hedge-brekyng make themself mery | |
But in the wynter they draw to the towne | |
And wyll do nothyng / but go vp and down | |
65 | And all for lodgyng that they haue here by nyght |
Me-thynk that therin ye do no ryght | |
Nor all suche places of hospytalyte | |
To confort people of suche iniquyte. | |
But syr I pray you of your goodnes and fauour | |
70 | Tell me whiche ye leaue / and which ye do do socour? |
For I haue sene at sondry hospytalles | |
That many haue lyen dead without the walles | |
And for lacke of socour haue dyed wretchedly | |
Unto your foundacyon / I thynke contrary | |
75 | Moche people resorte here / and haue lodgyng |
But yet I maruell greatly of one thyng | |
That in the nyght so many lodge without? | |
For in the watche whan that we go about | |
Under the stalles /, in porches and in doores | |
sig: [A4v] | |
80 | I [wote] not whither they be theues or hoores Upper margin trimmed. |
But surely euery nyght there is found | |
One or other lyeng by the pound | |
In the shepe-cootes / or in the hey-loft | |
And at saynt Barthylmews chyrch-doore full oft | |
85 | And euen here alway by this brycke wall |
We do them fynd, that do bothe chyde and brall | |
And lyke as beastes / togyder they be throng | |
Bothe lame and seke / and hole them among | |
But in many corners where that we go | |
90 | Wherof I wondre greatly why they do so |
But oftymes whan that they vs se | |
They do renne a great deale faster than we. | |
¶Porter. |
|
¶Suche folkes be they that we do abiect | |
We are not bound to haue to them aspect | |
95 | Those be mychers, that lyue in trewandyse, |
Hospytalyte dooth them alway despyse. | |
¶Copland. |
|
¶Syr I pray you, who hath of you relefe? | |
¶Porter. |
|
¶Forsoth they that be at suche myschefe | |
That for theyr lyuyng can do no labour | |
100 | And haue no frendes to do them socour |
As old people / seke / and impotent | |
Poore women in chyldbed haue here easement | |
Weyke men sore wounded by great vyolence | |
And sore men eaten with pockes and pestylence | |
105 | And honest folke fallen in great pouerte |
By myschaunce or other infyrmyte | |
Way-faryng men, and maymed souldyours | |
Haue theyr relyef in this poore hous of ours poore hous: poorhouse is first attested as a compound in 1782; see OED s.v. poorhouse. | |
sig: B1 | |
And all other which we seme good and playne | |
110 | Haue here lodgyng for a nyght or twayne |
Bedred folke / and suche as can not craue | |
In these places / moost relyef they haue | |
And yf they hap / within our place to dye | |
Than are they buryed / well and honestly | |
115 | But not euery vnseke stoborne knaue |
For than we shold ouer-many haue. | |
¶Copland. |
|
¶How say you by these comyn beggers that crye | |
Dayly on the worlde / and in the hye-wayes lye | |
At Westmynster / and at saynt_Poules | |
120 | And in all stretes they syt as desolate soules |
Me-thynke it i[s] a very well done dede it is] it it 1536 | |
With deuocyon suche people to fede | |
¶Porter. |
|
¶Where ony gyueth almesse with good entent | |
The rewarde can not be no-wyse mysspent | |
¶Copland. |
|
125 | ¶Ye but syr I wyll not lye by my soule |
As I walked to the chyrche of saynt_Poule | |
There sate beggers: on eche syde the way two | |
As is seen dayly, they be wont to do | |
Syr one there was a myghty stoburne slaue | |
130 | That for the other began to beg and craue |
Now mayster, in the way of your good spede | |
To vs all four / behold where it is nede | |
And make this farthyng worth a halfpeny | |
For the fyue ioyes of our blyssed lady | |
135 | Now turne agayn for saynt Erasmus sake |
And on my bare knees here a vowe I make | |
Our ladyes psalter thre tymes euen now | |
sig: [B1v] | |
Now turne agayn / as god shall turne to you | |
Now mayster, do that no man dyd this day | |
140 | On yone poore wretch / that rotte[t]h in the way rotteth] rotteh 1536 |
Now mayster for hym that dyed on tre | |
Lete vs not dye for lacke of charyte | |
Thus he prated / as he full well can | |
Tyll at last an honest seruyng-man | |
145 | Came by the way / and by compassyon |
Of his wordes / dyd his deuocyon | |
Whan he was gone a lytell fro thens | |
I sawe the begger pull out .xi. pens | |
Sayeng to his felaws. se what here is | |
150 | Many a knaue haue I called mayster for this |
Lete vs go dyne / this is a symple day symple ='ordinary, not festival'; see OED s.v. simple adj, 6c. | |
My mayster therwith shall I scantly pay | |
Come these folkes hyther good mayster porter? | |
¶Porter. |
|
¶No in sothe / this hous is of no such supporter | |
155 | They haue houses / and kepe full yll gestyng |
And to them resorte all the hole ofspryng | |
In the Berbycan / and in Turnmyll_strete | |
In Houndesdyche / and behynd the Flete | |
And in twenty places mo than there | |
160 | Where they make reuell and gaudy chere |
With fyll the pot fyll / go fyll me the can | |
Here is my peny / I am a gentylman | |
And there they byb / and fyll as dooth a gull | |
And whan that they haue theyr heades full | |
165 | Than they fall out / and make reuylyng |
And in this wyse make the dronken rekenyng | |
Thou beggerly knaue, bag nor staf hast thou none | |
But as I am fayne dayly to lend the one | |
sig: B2 | |
Thou getest it no more / though it lye and rote | |
170 | Nor my long cloke / nor my new-patched cote |
This rule make they / euery day and nyght | |
Tyll lyke as swyne they lye slepyng vpryght | |
Some beggerly churles to whome they resorte | |
Be the maynteners of a great sorte | |
175 | Of myghty lubbers / and haue them in seruyce |
Some iourney-men / and some to theyr prentyce | |
And they walke to eche market and fayre | |
And to all places where folke do repayre | |
By day on styltes / or stoupyng on crowchis | |
180 | And so dyssymule as fals lewtryng slowches |
With bloody clowtes all about theyr legge | |
And playsters on theyr skyn whan they go beg | |
Some countrefayt lepry / and other some | |
Put sope in theyr mouth to make it scomme | |
185 | And fall dow[n]e as saynt Cornelys euyll |
These dysceyts they vse wors than eny deuyll | |
And whan they be in theyr owne company | |
They be as hole as eyther you or I | |
But at the last / whan sekenes cometh in-dede | |
190 | Than to the spyttell-hous must they come nede |
¶Copland. |
|
¶Ah Iesu mercy / what man coud coniect coniect ='conjecture' | |
The mysery of suche a wretched sect | |
None honest man, but yet I you hertyly pray | |
Tell me of other that come th[is] way this] these 1536 | |
195 | Come here ony of these maysterles men |
That euery-where do go and ren | |
That haue serued the kyng beyond the se | |
And now that they out of wages be | |
They must beg or els go brybe and steale | |
sig: [B2v] | |
200 | Me-thynk it is a great soule-heale |
To help them tyll they were pouruayd | |
In-to some seruyce for yf they were arayd | |
Some of them were propre men and tall | |
And able to go whyther they shall | |
¶Porter. |
|
205 | ¶That is trouth, but they vse one yll thyng |
For they do were soudyers clothyng | |
And so beggyng deceyue folke ouer-all | |
For they be vacabondes moost in generall | |
And wyll abyde no laborous subiection | |
210 | With honest persones vnder correction |
For whan they be wery they wyll renne away | |
And parchaunce cary with them what they may | |
And so whan a man wold bryng them to thryft | |
They wyll hym rob / and fro his good hym lyft. | |
¶Copland. |
|
215 | ¶Though some so do / they do not all so |
For some myght chaunce well as many one do. | |
¶Porter. |
|
¶That is true / but it hath ben seen long agone | |
That many haue fared the wors for one | |
And of these be two sortes moost comynly | |
220 | The one of them lyueth by open beggery |
Ragged and lowsy with bag / dysh / and staf | |
And euer haunteth among such ryf-raf | |
One tyme to this spyttell, another to that | |
Prolyng and pochyng to get somwhat Prolyng: =prowling; pochyng: =poaching, 'intruding'; see OED s.v. poach v2, 2b, where this example is cited. | |
225 | At euery doore / lumpes of bread or meat |
For yf the staf in his hand ones catche heat | |
Than farwell labour / and hath suche delyte | |
That thryft and honesty fro hym is quyte | |
sig: B3 | |
And in suche mysery they lyue day by day | |
230 | That of very nede they must come this way |
¶Copland. |
|
¶Of the other now / what is theyr estate | |
¶Porter. |
|
¶By my fayth nyghtyngales of newgate | |
These ben they that dayly walkes and Iettes | |
In theyr hose trussed rounde to theyr dowblettes | |
235 | And say / good maysters of your charyte |
Helpe vs poore men that come from the se | |
From the Bonauenture we were cast to lande | |
God it knowes as poorly as we stande | |
And somtyme they say that they were take in Fraunce | |
240 | And had ben there .vii. yeres in duraunce |
In Muttrell / in Brest / in Tourney or Tyrwyn | |
In Morlays / in Cleremount or in Redyn | |
And to theyr countrees they haue ferre to gone | |
And amonge them all peny haue they none | |
245 | Now good mennes bodyes wyll they say then |
For goddes sake helpe to kepe vs true men | |
Or elles they say they haue in pryson be | |
In newgat / the kynges benche or marchalse | |
As many true men take by suspecyon | |
250 | And were quitte / by proclamacyon |
And yf ony axe what countrey-men they be | |
And lyke your maystershyp / of the north all thre | |
Or of Chesshyre / or elles nygh Cornewale | |
Or where they lyst for to gabbe and rayle | |
255 | And may parchaunce the one is of London |
The other of yorke / and the thyrde of Hampton | |
And thus they lewter in euery way and strete | |
In townes and chyrches where-as people mete | |
sig: [B3v] | |
In lanes and patthes / and at eche crosse-way crosse-way] crosse / way 1536 | |
260 | There do they prate / bable lye and praye |
But yf ye be clenly and haply come alone | |
Your purce and clothynge may fortune to be gone | |
But at no dore for brede / drynke / nor potage | |
Nor scoules of meat / nor no suche bagage scoules ='strong, shallow baskets'; see OED s.v. skull n2. | |
265 | They none desyre / to put in bagge nor male |
But very whyte threde / to sewe good ale | |
And whan they haue goten what they may | |
Than to theyr lodgynge / they do take theyr way | |
In-to some aley / lane / or blynde hostry | |
270 | And to some corner or hous of bawdry |
Whereas ben folke of theyr affynyte | |
Brothelles / and other suche as they be | |
And there they mete / and make theyr gaudy chere | |
And put on theyr clothynge and other gere | |
275 | Theyr swerdes and boclers / and theyr short dagge[r]s daggers] daggebs 1536 |
And there they reuell as vnthryfty braggers | |
With horyble othes / swerynge as they were wood | |
Armes / nayles / woundes / herte soule and blood | |
Dethe / fote / masse / flesshe / bones / lyfe / and body | |
280 | With all other wordes of blasphemy |
Bostynge them all in dedes of theyr myschefe | |
And thus passe the tyme / with daunce hore / pipe thefe | |
The hang-man shall lede the daunce at the ende | |
For none other-ways they do not pretende | |
285 | And whan that they can gete nothyng by beggyng |
To maynteyne suche lyfe they fall to stelyng | |
And so this way the[y] come at the last they] the 1536 | |
Or on the galowes make a tomlyng-cast tomlyng-cast ='somersault' | |
¶Copland. |
|
¶More pyte / to se our owne nacyon | |
sig: [B4] | |
290 | For to behaue them on suche facyon |
Surely there is an act of parlyament | |
That yf ony strong vacabond be hent | |
To be set in a payre of stockes openly | |
Certayne days / with bread and water onely | |
295 | And than to be banysht from town to town |
I thynk that act is not yet put down | |
If it were execute / as to my reason | |
Men shold not se within a lytell season | |
So many of them / nor ydle slouches | |
300 | And myghty beggers / with theyr pokes and crouches |
But they be mayntened by this noughty sect | |
That all this land is with them infect | |
I meane these bawdy brybrous knaues brybrous ='given to taking bribes' | |
That lodgeth them that so powles and shaues | |
305 | It were almes that they were loked on |
For they be wors than ony thefe or felon | |
¶But to our purpose / cometh not this way | |
Of these Rogers? that dayly syng and pray rogers ='begging vagabonds who pretended to be poor scholars'; see OED s.v. roger n1, where this and another instance below are the sole examples cited. | |
With Aue regina / or De profundis | |
310 | Quem terra ponthus / and Stella maris |
At euery doore there they toot and frydge frydge ='fidget' | |
And say they come fro Oxford or Cambrydge | |
And be poore scolers / and haue no maner thyng | |
Nor also frendes, to kepe them at lernyng | |
315 | And so do lewtre only for crust and crum |
With staffe in hand / and fyst in bosum | |
Passyng tyme so bothe day and yere | |
As in theyr legend I purpose shall appere | |
An-other tyme after my fantasy | |
¶Porter. |
|
320 | ¶Suche folkes of trouth cometh here dayly |
sig: [B4v] | |
And ought of ryght this hous for to vse | |
In theyr aege / for they fully do refuse | |
The tyme of vertuous excercyse | |
Wherby they shold vnto honour aryse | |
¶Copland. |
|
325 | ¶Syr yet there is another company |
Of the same sect / that lyue more subtylly | |
And be in maner as mayster-wardayns | |
To whome these Rogers obey as capytayns | |
And be named Clewners, as I here say Clewners: =cluners, 'Clunaic monks', here and below? | |
¶Porter. |
|
330 | ¶By my sothe all fals harlots be they |
And deceyuers of people ouerall | |
In the countree moost of them fynd ye shall | |
They say that they come fro the vnyuersyte | |
And in the scoles haue taken degree | |
335 | Of preesthod / but frendes haue they none |
To gyue them ony exhybytion | |
And how that they forth wold passe | |
To theyr countree / and syng theyr fyrst masse | |
And there pray for theyr benefactours | |
340 | And serue god all tymes and houres |
And so they lewtre in suche rogacyons | |
Seuen or eyght yeres walkyng theyr stacyons | |
And do but gull / and folow beggery | |
Feynyng true doyng by ypocrysy | |
345 | As another tyme shalbe shewed playne |
¶But yet there is of a lyke maner trayne | |
Of fals brybours, deceytfull and fraudelent | |
That among people call themselfs Sapyent | |
These ryde about in many sondry wyse | |
350 | And in straunge aray / do themself dysguyse |
sig: C1 | |
Somtyme in maner of a physycyan | |
And another tyme as a hethen man | |
Countrefaytyng theyr owne tongue and speche | |
And hath a knaue that doth hym englysh teche | |
355 | With, me non spek englys by my fayt |
My seruaunt spek you what me sayt | |
And maketh a maner of straunge countenaunce | |
With admyracyons his falsnes to auaunce | |
And whan he cometh there-as he wold be | |
360 | Than wyll he feyne merueylous grauyte |
And so chaunceth his hostes or his hoost | |
To demaund, out of what straunge land or coost | |
Cometh this gentylman? forsothe hostesse | |
This man was borne in hethennesse | |
365 | Sayth his seruaunt. and is a connyng man |
For all the seuen scyences surely he can | |
And is sure in Physyk and Palmestry | |
In augury, sothsayeng, and vysenamy vysenamy: =visnomy, 'physiognomy, the foretelling of destiny from facial features'. | |
So that he can ryght soone espy | |
370 | If ony be dysposed to malady |
And therfore can gyue suche a medycyne | |
That maketh all accesses to declyne | |
But surely yf it were knowen that he | |
Shold medle with ony infyrmyte | |
375 | Of comyn people, he myght gete hym hate |
And lose the fauour of euery great estate | |
Howbeit of charyte / yet now and then | |
He wyll mynyster his cure on pore men | |
No money he taketh, but all for gods loue | |
380 | Which by chaunce ye shall se hym proue |
¶Than sayth he / qui speke my hostesse | |
Graund malady make a gret excesse | |
sig: [C1v] | |
Dys infant rumpre vng grand postum | |
By got he ala mort / tuk vnder thum The language of the copytext here becomes a mixture of English, French, German and thieves' cant (see Erler, p. 235). | |
385 | What sayth he? sayth the good-wyfe |
Hostesse he swereth, by his soule and lyfe | |
That this chyld is vexed with a bag | |
In his stomacke, as great as he may wag | |
So that or two or thre days come about | |
390 | It wyll choke hym withouten dout |
But than he sayth / except ye haue his read | |
This chyld therwith wyll sodeynly be dead | |
Alas sayth she / yf she loue it well | |
Now swete mayster / gyue me your counsell | |
395 | For gods sake I aske it, and our lady |
And here is twenty shyllyngs by and by | |
Quid est, sayth he? Forsoth she dooth offre | |
Uiginti solidi, pour fournir vostre coffre | |
To do your help / sayth this fals seruyture | |
400 | Non poynt dargent sayth he / par deu ie non cure |
He wyll no money / hostesse I you promyt | |
For gods sake / he dooth it eche whyt | |
Than calleth he anone for his casket | |
That scantly is worth a rotten basket | |
405 | And taketh out a powdre of experyence |
That a carte-lode is not worth two pence | |
And in a paper he dooth fayre fold it vp | |
Fastyng thre days / he byddeth that to sup | |
Than for a space he taketh lycence | |
410 | God wot as yet he payd for none exspence |
And so departeth. and on the next day | |
One of his felawes wyll go the same way | |
To bolster the matter of his fals bewpere | |
He sytteth down / and maketh good chere | |
sig: [C2] | |
415 | Which in lykewyse loketh on the chylde |
Sayeng / that heuenly vyrgyn vndefylde | |
Our lady Mary, preser[u]e this chyld now | |
For it is seke / hostesse I tell it you | |
For or thre days / but our lorde hym saue | |
420 | I ensure you it wylbe in a graue |
Good syr sayth she / alas and weleaway | |
Here was a gentylman euen yesterday | |
That tolde the same accesse and dysease | |
Hostesse sayth he / yf that it wold you please | |
425 | What maner man was it? I pray you tell |
Good syr she sayth / in sothe I know not well | |
But englysh speche / in-dede he can none | |
And is a Iewe / his man told vs echone | |
Yea was, sayth he / I knowe hym well in-dede Yea was ='yea he was', an elision (Erler). | |
430 | I wolde I had spoke with hym or he yede |
But hostesse, in faythe toke he ony-thyng | |
By my trouth sayth she / not one farthyng | |
I wote sayth he / but I maruell that he wold | |
But of charyte, in suche a meane houshold | |
435 | Do say so moche / for yf great estates it knewe |
His company than wold they all eschewe | |
Good syr sayth she / yet of your gentylnes | |
Help this poore chylde, of this sayd sekenes | |
And here is .xx. shyllyngs for your payne | |
440 | And your exspence for a weke or twayne |
Well hostesse sayth he. I wyll do more than t[hat] The copytext is defective here. | |
For you. but I shall tell you what | |
For my labour I aske nothyng at all | |
But for the drogges / that occupy he shall | |
445 | The which be dere / and very precyous |
And surely I wyll neuer out of your hous | |
sig: [C2v] | |
Tyll he be hole as eyther you or I | |
Than gooth his knaue to a town to bye | |
These drogges that be not worth a torde | |
450 | And there they lye / [a] fourtenyght at borde a] at 1536 |
With these good folkes / and put them to cost | |
Bothe meat and money clerely haue they lost | |
Yet god wote what waste they made and reuell | |
So at the last departeth this Iauell Iauell ='rascal' | |
455 | With the money / and streyght rydeth he |
Where the thefe his felaw / and dyuers other be | |
And there they prate / and make theyr auaunt | |
Of theyr deceytes / and drynk adew taunt taunt ='to the full, thoroughly'?; see OED s.v. taunt, adv., where this example is cited. | |
As they lyue / I pray god them amend | |
460 | Or as they be / to bryng them to an end |
For the spyttell is not for theyr estate | |
Howbeit they come dayly by the gate | |
¶Copland. |
|
¶A shrewd sorte by our lady / and a comberous | |
Iesus kepe them out of euery good mans hous | |
465 | But cometh ony pardoners this way? |
¶Porter. |
|
¶Yea syr, they be our proctours / and fayn they may | |
Chyefly syth theyr fals popery was knowen | |
And theyr bullysh indulgence ouerthrowen | |
They be all nought / reken eche with other | |
470 | Subtilte is theyr father / and falshod theyr mother |
For by lettres they name them as they be | |
P. a pardoner. Clewner a .C. | |
R. a Roger. A an Aurium / and a Sapyent .S. | |
Thus they know eche other doubtles | |
475 | But whan theyr iuggelyng oores do fayle |
They renne ashore / and here stryke sayle | |
sig: C3 | |
¶Copland. |
|
¶By my sothe I am wery to here of theyr lyuyng | |
Wherfore I pray you / yf ye be pleasyng | |
Tell me shortly of all folke in generall | |
480 | That come the hye-way to the hospytall |
¶Porter. |
|
IT is tedyous / but for your mynde | |
As nye as I can / I wyl shew the kynde | |
Of euery sorte / and which by lykelynes | |
To the spyttell his way dooth adres | |
485 | But as for ordre I promyse none to kepe |
For they do come as they were scattered shepe | |
Wandryng without reason / rule / or guyde | |
And for other lodgyng do not prouyde | |
¶But to our purpose there cometh in this vyage | |
490 | They that toward god haue no courage |
And to his worde gyue none aduertence | |
Eke to father and mother do not reuerence | |
They that despyse folke in aduersyte | |
They that seke stryfe and iniquyte | |
495 | They that for themself do kepe nothyng |
And suche as hate other in theyr well-doyng | |
They may be sure or euer they dye | |
Lest they lacke lodgyng here for to lye. | |
¶Preestes and clerkes that lyue vycyously | |
500 | Not caryng how they shold do theyr duty |
Unruly of maners / and slacke in lernyng | |
Euer at the alehous for to syt bybyng | |
Neglectyng the obedyence to them dew | |
And vnto Chrystes flocke take none a[n]ew | |
505 | But lyke as wolues that rauysh the folde |
sig: [C3v] | |
These people do this ryght way holde | |
¶Yong heyres that enioy theyr herytage | |
Rulyng themself / or they come to aege | |
Occupyeng vnthryfty company | |
510 | Spendyng vp theyr patrymony |
Whyles they be yong, and vse dyssolute playes | |
Of very nede they must come these wayes | |
¶All suche people as haue lytell to spend | |
Wastyng it, tyll it be at an end | |
515 | And whan they be seke / and haue nothyng |
Toward the spyttell than they be comyng | |
¶They that haue small londes and tenements | |
Wearyng dayly costly garments | |
That at the last they must be fayne | |
520 | To sell theyr rentes / themself to sustayne |
Whiche is a token of veray experyence | |
This way for to come by consequence | |
¶Bayllyfs, stuardes, caters, and renters | |
Pay-maysters, credytours, and receyuers | |
525 | That be neclygent to make rekenyngs |
Delyueryng and trustyng without wrytyngs | |
Uncaryng for to renne in arerage | |
By this way they must nede make passage | |
¶Landlordes that do no reparacyons | |
530 | But leue theyr landes in desolacyons |
Theyr housyng vnkept wynd and water-tyght | |
Letyng the pryncypals rot down-ryght pryncypals ='main beams'; see OED s.v. principal n, 10. | |
sig: [C4] | |
And suffreth theyr tenauntes to renne away | |
The way to our hous we can them not denay | |
535 | ¶They that sew / in the court dayly |
For lyttell besynesse and spendeth largely | |
With grete gyftes and yet theyr labour lost | |
This way they come to seke for theyr cost | |
¶Fermours and other husbandmen that be | |
540 | In grete fermes / and dooth not ouer-se |
Theyr housbondry / but leteth theyr corne rote | |
Theyr hey to must / theyr shepe dye in the cote | |
Theyr land vntyld / vndunged / and vnsowen | |
Theyr medowes not defenced and vnmowen | |
545 | Theyr fruyt to perysh / hangyng on the trees |
Theyr catel scater / and lose theyr hony-bees | |
¶All yong heyres borne in a ryche estate | |
And wold lyue styll after the same rate | |
Beyng yong brethren of small possybylyte | |
550 | Not hauyng wherwith to mayntene suche degre |
But make shyftes / and borow ouerall | |
Suche trace pryson to be theyr hospytall | |
¶Selfwylled people that can not be in rest | |
But in the lawe do euer wrythe and wrest | |
555 | And wyll not fall to ony agrement |
Tyll in theyr neckes is layd by Iugement | |
The costes and charges / and so are made full bare | |
Lodgyng for suche folke we do euer spare | |
¶People that alway wyll be at dystaunce | |
sig: [C4v] | |
560 | And on theyr neyghbours euer take vengeaunce |
Beyng auengyng on euery small wrong | |
From this way they cannot be long | |
¶They that wyl medle in euery mans matter | |
And of other folkes dedes dooth alway clatter | |
565 | Mayntenyng theyr own sayeng to be true |
And is not beleued / they can not eschue | |
But they must nedes come hytherward | |
For by moche medlyng theyr credence is mard | |
¶Marchaunts that beyond the see bye dere | |
570 | And lend it good chepe whan they be here |
And be neuer payed / but by the lawe | |
Here haue no beddyng / but lye on the strawe | |
¶They that sell good cheap in despyte | |
Lettyng all theyr gaynes for to go quyte | |
575 | Byeng ware deare / and sell for a lytell |
They be very gestes to lye in our spyttell | |
¶Craftes-men that do worke day and nyght | |
Hauyng great charge and theyr gaynes lyght | |
Wastyng theyr tooles / and can them not renew | |
580 | Full well may saye / farwell good thryft adew |
¶He that wynneth moche / and whan he hath doone | |
With waste and games spendeth it soone | |
Leauyng not wherwith agayn to begyn | |
In this hye-way he hasteth to ryn | |
585 | ¶He that hath a good occupacyon |
And wyll lyue on the courtly facyon | |
sig: D1 | |
[And to worke or labour is wery] Upper margin trimmed. | |
Wenyng for to lyue more easyly | |
Somtyme doth make an vnthryfty chaunge | |
590 | With bag and staf in our parke to raunge |
¶Rufflers / and masterles men that can not werke Rufflers ='vagabonds' | |
And slepeth by day / and walketh in the derke | |
And with delycates / gladly doth fede | |
Swerynge and crakynge an easy lyfe to lede | |
595 | With comyn women dayly for to haunt |
Makynge reuell and drynke a_dieu taunt | |
Saynge make we mery as longe as we can | |
And drynke a_pace / the deuyll pay the malt-man | |
Wyne was not made for euery haskerde | |
600 | But bere and ale / for euery dasterde |
And whan theyr money is gone and spent | |
Than this way is moost conuenyent | |
¶Tauerners that kepe bawdry and pollyng | |
Marryng wyne with brewyng and rollyng brewyng and rollyng ='diluting and ?disturbing' (Erler); see OED s.v. brew v, 2a. | |
605 | ¶Inholders that lodge hoores and theues |
Seldon theyr getyng ony-way preues | |
So by reason / theyr gaynes be geason | |
This way they renne many a season | |
Bakers and brewers / that with musty grayne | |
610 | Serue theyr customers, must take it agayne |
And many tymes haue they no vtteraunce | |
For theyr weyght and measure is of no substaunce | |
And lose bothe theyr credence and good | |
Come this way by all lykelyhood | |
615 | For they do infect that shold be mans food. |
sig: [D1v] | |
¶[They that will be surety] for euery det Upper margin trimmed. | |
And wyll pay more than they of ryght be set | |
For to be named a man lyberall | |
And in maner he hath nothynge at all | |
620 | Suche folysshe facers whan theyr good is spent |
To the spyttell-warde they renne incontynent | |
¶Yonge folke that wedde or they be wyse | |
And alway charges on theyr hand dooth ryse | |
Hous rent and chyldren / and euery other thyng | |
625 | And can do nothyng for to gete theyr lyuyng |
And haue no frendes them for to sustayne | |
To com this way / at last they must be fayne | |
They that sell away all theyr rentes and landes | |
And bestoweth it for to be merchandes | |
630 | And auentreth tyll the[y] haue all lost they] then 1536 |
And turmoyleth alway fro pyler to post | |
And euer leseth all that they go about | |
Cometh this way amonge the other rout | |
¶They that in hope to haue theyr frendes dye | |
635 | Wyll do nothynge / but lyue wantonly |
Trustynge to haue the treasour that is left | |
But many tymes it is them bereft | |
And haue nothyng and nothynge can do | |
Suche come this way with other to | |
640 | ¶They that dooth to other folkes good dede |
And hath themselfe of other folke more nede | |
And quencheth the fyre of another place | |
And leueth his owne, that is in wors cace | |
sig: [D2] | |
Whan it is brent / and woteth not where to lye | |
645 | To the spyttell than must he nedes hye |
¶They that wyll not suffre theyr clothe hole | |
But iag and cut them with many a hole | |
And payeth more for makyng than it cost | |
Whan it is made / the garment is but lost | |
650 | Patchyng them with colours lyke a fole |
At last they be ruled after our scole | |
¶They that do make to moche of theyr wyues | |
Suffryng them to be nought of theyr lyues nought= 'immoral, vicious'; see OED s.v. nought adj., 1c. | |
Letyng them haue ouermoche of theyr wyll | |
655 | Clothyng them better than they can fulfyll |
Letyng them go to feestes / daunces / and plays | |
To euery brydale / and do nothyng on days | |
And gyueth them all the soueraynte | |
Must nedes come this way / for they cannot the the] pthe 1536the: Erler's emendation; 'paye' would be an alternative reading. | |
¶Copland. |
|
660 | ¶Come hyther ony of these wofull creatures |
That be sore wounded / and moche wo endures | |
With a shrewd wyfe / and is neuer quyet | |
By cause that she wold haue all her dyet | |
But bralle and chyde / babble / crye and fyght | |
665 | Euer vncontented bothe day and nyght |
¶Porter. |
|
¶Come this way quod a? yes I warraunt you | |
Of them alway come this way ynow | |
We haue chambres purposely for them | |
Or els they shold be lodged in Bedlem | |
¶Copland. |
|
670 | ¶Mary god forbyd it shold be as ye tell |
sig: [D2v] | |
¶Porter. |
|
¶By good fayth, the very deuyll of hell | |
I trowe to my mynd hath not moche more payne | |
One were in a maner as good be slayne | |
For there is no ioye / but euer anguysh | |
675 | On bothe sydes they do always languysh |
For the one gooth hyther, and the other thyder | |
Bothe they spend, and ly nothyng togyder | |
So at the last of very necessyte | |
Hyther they come / to aske lodgyng of me | |
¶Copland. |
|
680 | ¶I do knowe it is the ryght facyon |
A realme stryuyng in it-self gooth to desolacyon | |
God amend all / I haue herd what it is | |
Tell of some other / I am wery of this | |
¶Porter. |
|
¶All maysters that lete theyr seruaunts play | |
685 | Fedyng them deyntyly euery day |
And dooth cloth and pay them as they shold be | |
Beyng neclygent theyr worke to ouerse | |
Suffryng them waste / and theyr good spyll | |
In theyr presence to do theyr lewd wyll | |
690 | And all those that pay not theyr hyre |
Uengeaunce of god it dooth desyre | |
These on bothe partes do eche other wrong | |
This way they come with a great throng | |
¶All suche seruauntes as be neclygent | |
695 | In theyr seruyce / and wyl not be content |
To do theyr werk / but slacke theyr besynes | |
Brybe and conuey fro mayster and maystres | |
Chaungyng maysters, and ren fro town to towne | |
sig: [D3] | |
And are late rysyng / and betyme lye downe | |
700 | Playeng by nyght / and tryflyng by day |
Of ryghtousnes they do here stay ryghtousnes ='fitness, propriety' | |
¶Suche folke as take on them great rent | |
In soyles for them inconuenyent | |
Unto theyr faculte, and often do remeue | |
705 | Entreprysyng that they cannot acheue |
Doyng curyous labours, and haue small wage | |
Unto our hous they come for hostage | |
¶They that borow on theyr garments and napr[y] napry] napr 1536 | |
And do not fetche them agayn shortly | |
710 | But lete them be worn / and than pay the somme |
In-to our hye-way they be far comme. | |
¶They that borow, and purpose not to pay | |
Tyll in pryson they spend all away | |
And do forswere that is theyr dew | |
715 | ¶They that lawe for a debt vntrew lawe ='litigate' |
And receyueth money in another mans name | |
Not beyng content to restore the same | |
¶They that forget that to them is ought | |
They that stryue with all folke for nought | |
720 | ¶And they that lend / and set no tyme to pay |
Reason wyll dryue them to come this way | |
¶Old folkes that all theyr goodes do gyue | |
Kepyng nothyng wheron to lyue | |
And put fro theyr hous whan they haue nede | |
725 | Toward our hous fast do they spede |
¶They that gyue chyldren money to spend | |
sig: [D3v] | |
And causeth them not at theyr byddyng attend | |
But dooth mayntene them in theyr lewdnes | |
And fro synne wyll them not redres | |
730 | In ydle wantonnes suffryng them to be |
Nor teache them vertuous faculte | |
Are the cause that whan they be olde | |
To take the way toward our houshold | |
¶They that euermore haue a delyte | |
735 | To fede, and make feastes at theyr appetyte |
With costly dysshes, and deynty drynke | |
Letyng theyr stocke euermore shrynke | |
Makyng a great porte, and be lytell worth | |
To come hyther they come streyght forth | |
740 | ¶They that take no hede to theyr houshold |
But lete theyr implements molde | |
Theyr hangyngs rot, theyr napery vnclene | |
Theyr furres and wollen not ouersene | |
Theyr vessell mar / and theyr goodes decay | |
745 | Cannot chuse / but nedes come this way |
¶Lechours / fornycatours / and aduouterers | |
Incestes / harlots / bawdes / and bolsterers bolsterers ='?illicit bedfellows' (Erler); see OED s.vv. bolsterer, bolster v, 6. | |
Applesquyers / entycers / and rauysshers Applesquyers ='pimps'; see OED s.v. apple-squire, where this example is cited. | |
These to our place haue dayly herbegers herbegers: =harbingers, 'forerunners' | |
¶Copland. |
|
750 | ¶No maruell of them / and happy they be |
If they do end in so honest degre | |
For surely theyr endyng is fayrest | |
If that with pouerte they be supprest | |
For I do fynd wryten of aduoutry | |
755 | That these fyue sorowes ensueth therby |
sig: [D4] | |
¶Ex istis penis patietur quisquis adulter | |
Aut erit hic pauper / hic aut subito morietur | |
Aut aliquod membrum casu vulnere perdet | |
Aut erit infamis / per quod sit carcere vinctus. | |
760 | ¶Eyther they shall be poore / or dye sodeynly |
Or lese by wound / some membre of the body | |
Or to be sclaundred to suffre sharpe pryson | |
Therfore pouerte is fayrest by reason | |
And yet besyde that / they be so beaten | |
765 | That with great pockes theyr lymmes be eaten |
¶How say ye by these horryble swerers | |
These blasphemers / and these god-terers | |
Come there ony this way to haue socour? | |
¶Porter. |
|
¶Do they? yea / I warraunt euery hour | |
770 | All rotten and torne / armes, heades, and legges |
They are the moost sorte that ony-where begges | |
And be the people that moost anoy vs. | |
¶Copland. |
|
¶I beleue well, for I fynd wryten thus | |
Uir multum iurans replebitur iniquitate, et a domo eius non recedet plaga. Ecclesiasticus .xxii. | |
¶A great swerer is full of iniquyte | |
775 | And fro his hous the plage shall neuer be |
In the commaundements is wryten playn | |
Thou shalt not take the name of god in vayn | |
For who-sow dooth vse it customably | |
The stroke of god can not eschew truly. | |
sig: [D4v] | |
780 | [¶But come none of these slouthfull folkes hyther?] Upper margin trimmed; text supplied from the Huntington copy. |
That be so vnlusty / so sluggysh and lyther | |
That care not how the world dooth go | |
Neyther halydays / nor workyng days also | |
But lye in bed tyll all masses be doone | |
785 | Lewtryng theyr worke tyll it pas noone |
And so enioye to lynger and to slepe | |
And to theyr lyuyng they take no maner kepe | |
¶Porter. |
|
¶These folkes come in so great nombre | |
That all the ways they do encombre | |
790 | And with them dothe come all these folke that spare |
To assay theyr frendes for theyr [o]wne welfare owne] dwne 1536 | |
But folow theyr owne myndes alway | |
Nor to theyr frendes in no wyse wyll obay | |
And of theyr promesses / they be no more set by | |
795 | But to this way they must them nedes apply |
¶Copland. |
|
¶And how by these people so full of coueytyse | |
That all the worldes good can them not suffyse | |
But by vsury / rapyne / and extorcyon | |
Do poulle the pore folke of theyr porcyon | |
800 | And they that inuent newes by tyranny inuent newes ='contrive new devices' |
Upon poore mens landes fraudelently | |
And lyke as wolues the shepe dooth take and tease tease ='to tear in pieces'; see OED s.v. tease v1, 1c, where this is the sole citation. | |
For theyr owne lucre / and to lyue in ease | |
And day by day / in euery maner degre | |
805 | They do prolonge theyr iniquite |
¶Porter. |
|
¶As for with them we haue to do nothyng | |
Unto the lawe it is all belongyng | |
How-be-it yf they chaunce to be poore | |
sig: E1 | |
Then often in-dede they do come by our doore | |
¶Copland. |
|
810 | ¶But then I pray you how say ye by these |
That breke this precept (Non furtum facies) | |
Theues and murtherers and these watchers of wayes | |
That robbe and steale / bothe by nightes and dayes | |
And that delyte in murder and in theft | |
815 | Whose condycyons in no wyse can be left |
Do not they oft-tymes come hyther by you? | |
¶Porter. |
|
¶Of them there cometh dayly ynow | |
But they be led / and comenly fast bounde | |
Bycause theyr lodgyng may soner be founde | |
820 | And ben conueyed by men of charyte |
Where that they haue hospytalyte | |
And ben well kept / and wrapped surely | |
And whan tyme cometh that they must dye | |
They be buryed aloft in the ayre | |
825 | Bycause dogs shall not on theyr graues repayre. |
¶Copland. |
|
¶Almyghty Iesu of his mercy defende | |
Euery good mannes chylde from suche [an] ende an] and 1536 | |
And how say ye by all these grete dronkardes | |
That suppe all of / by pottes and tankardes | |
830 | Tyll they be so dronke / that they cannot stande |
That is but lytell vsed in this lande | |
Except it be among duche folke or flemynges | |
For englysshe-men knowe not of suche rekeninges | |
¶ Porter. |
|
No do? yes yes. I ensure you hardely | |
835 | They can do it as well as ony-body |
With dowble beare / be it wyne or ale | |
sig: [E1v] | |
They ceas not tyll they can tell no ryght tale | |
With quyxte quaxte / ic brynxte lief brore The language of the copytext mimics drunken speech here. | |
An ortkyn / or an half beres / by gots more | |
840 | Yea rather than fayle drynke it clene out |
With fyll the pot ones agayn round about | |
Gyue vs more drynke / for sparyng of bread | |
Tyll theyr cappes be wyser than theyr head | |
And so syt they / and spend vp all theyr thryft | |
845 | And after come here / they haue no other shyft |
¶Copland. |
|
¶How say ye by these folkes full of yre | |
That brenne in wrath / hoter than fyre | |
And neuer be quyet / but chyde and brall | |
With wrath and anger fretyng hert and gall | |
850 | Wayward / wode / furyous / and fell |
For where they be / quyetnes cannot dwell | |
But alway stryfe / mystrust /and great dysease | |
And in no wyse none man can them please | |
¶Porter. |
|
¶Hyther they come / and I wyll tell you why | |
855 | None can lyue by them / well nor quyetly |
But with eche one they fall out and make bate | |
Causyng people them for to hate | |
And wyll suffre them to dwell nowhere | |
But are fayne for to remayne here | |
¶Copland. |
|
860 | ¶It may wel be so, for where is none agre |
Neyther thryft nor welfare cannot be | |
But I trust it be not betwene man and wyfe | |
Than it were pyte / and eke a sory lyfe | |
For where is no peas at bed nor at borde | |
865 | I reken theyr thryft is not worth a torde |
sig: [E2] | |
But of these people that ben so stout | |
That in welth and wo bere it so out | |
That pryde wyll not suffre them for to fall | |
Me-thynke this way they come not all | |
¶Porter. |
|
870 | ¶O yes yes / god wote of them be not fewe |
For here all day they assemble in a rewe | |
And here they crake / bable and make grete boste | |
And amonge all other wolde rule the roste | |
With stande backe thou lewd vylayne beggerly knaue | |
875 | I wyll that thou knowe my wyfe and I haue |
Spent more in a day with good honeste | |
Than thou in thy lyfe euer was lyke to be | |
For I tell the I haue kept or now suche reporte | |
That all my neyghbours dyd to me resorte neyghbours] neyghtbours 1536 | |
880 | And haue or now kept a grete housholde |
And had ynough of syluer / and of golde | |
In all our parysshe was none better decked | |
And I thynke scorne for to be thus checked | |
Of suche lewde persones that neuer had good | |
885 | And eke I am borne of as good a blood |
As ony in this towne / and a gentylman | |
But yf I had as moche as I wyst whan | |
I shold make a meyny of these poore carles to know | |
What maner thyng a gentylman is I trowe | |
¶Copland. |
|
890 | ¶Lo here one may se that there is none wors |
Than is a proude herte and a beggers purs | |
Grete boost and small roost / this is euydent | |
for a proud[e] hert w[y]ll neuer be shent proude] proudo 1536; wyll] well 1536 | |
¶But good porter I pray you be so kynde | |
895 | To tell me of them out of mynde |
sig: [E2v] | |
As for the enuyous I lete them dwell | |
For theyr hospytall is the depe pyt of hell | |
¶Porter. |
|
¶How say ye by this lewd Ipocrysy? | |
That is vsed so superstycyously | |
900 | I cry god mercy yf I make ony lye |
Of them that deuout prayers seme to occupy | |
As yf god fro the cros by them shold be vndone | |
And syt in the chyrche tyll it be noone | |
Neuer speakyng in ony folkes presence | |
905 | But it soundeth to vertue and reuerence |
Yet whan they be moeued to anger and wrath | |
I trowe to my mynde / that other folke hath | |
Not half the spyte, vengeaunce and rygour | |
As they wyll haue to theyr poore neyghbour | |
910 | For some of them / yf they myght be a lorde |
Wold hang another / they be of suche dyscorde | |
And where they ones take hatred or enmyte | |
Duryng theyr lyfe haue neuer charyte | |
And who that hath no charyte nor loue | |
915 | Can neuer please the amyte aboue |
And so this way they be fayne to come. | |
¶Copland. |
|
¶I beleue well / for truely there be some | |
That neyther haue loue to one nor other | |
For I wene yf it were syster or brother | |
920 | They wold no more pyte them nor rewe |
(They be so fell) / than on a thefe or Iewe | |
For whan ye thynk to haue them moost in reason | |
Than be theyr hertes full of deadly poyson | |
And in theyr fury they be so vyolent | |
925 | That they wyll bryng one to an exegent. |
sig: E3 | |
And neuer pardon / nor no man forgyue | |
Tyll theyr neyghbour hath nothyng on to lyue | |
And so they make by theyr own consyence | |
Betwene god and the deuyll no dyffrence | |
930 | ¶But hey alas / do none this way trace |
That do take wyues of small effycace | |
Which cannot get / bestow / nor yet saue | |
And to go gay they wyll spend and craue | |
Makyng men wene that they loue them alone | |
935 | And be full fals vnto them echone |
Spendyng theyr goodes without ony care | |
Without good gownes / but not of hoodes bare | |
¶Porter. |
|
¶They must come hyther / for they cannot chuse | |
For they that wyll them-selfe so vse | |
940 | The one to gete / and the other spend |
And whan all is brought to an end | |
Hether they come to haue conforte | |
Syr I beshrew all the hole sorte | |
Suche genyfenyes kepeth many one lowe genyfenyes: 'The OED gives "jan" as thieves cant for a purse (1610), so perhaps "purse-women," as women's free spending has just been condemned' (Erler, p. 244). | |
945 | Theyr husbandes must obey as dog to bowe |
Alas sely men / ye are yll at ease | |
These deynty huswyues for to fede and please | |
For so they syt and sew half an hour on a clout | |
Theyr hole dayes worke is patched out | |
950 | And so by theyr tryflyng and lyuyng nought |
With other meanes they be hyther brought | |
¶Copland. |
|
¶Well good porter / I pray you let them alone | |
F[o]r happy is he that hath a good one For] Fyr 1536 | |
I pray you shewe me of other gestes | |
955 | For agaynst women I loue no iestes |
sig: [E3v] | |
The showre is almoost done / and I haue fer to go | |
Come none of these pedlers this way also | |
With pak on bak / with theyr bousy speche | |
Iagged and ragged / with broken hose and breche | |
¶Porter. |
|
960 | ¶Inow. ynow / with bousy coue maund nace Vagabonds' cant; for a 'translation' of this passage, see Erler p. 244. |
Toure the patryng-coue in the darkman cace patryng-coue: =patrico, 'priest' | |
Docked the dell / for a coper meke | |
His watch shall feng a prounces nobchete | |
Cyarum by salmon / and thou shalt pek my iere | |
965 | In thy gan / for my watch it is nace gere |
For the bene bouse / my watch hath a wyn | |
And thus they babble tyll theyr thryft is thyn | |
I wote not what / with theyr pedlyng frenche | |
But of the spyttle / they haue a party stenche party ='participant, accessory'? See OED s.v. party n, 12. | |
970 | And with them comes gaderers of cony-skynnes |
That chop with laces / poyntes / nedles / and pyns | |
¶Copland. |
|
¶Come ony maryners hyther of Cok_lorels bote | |
¶Porter. |
|
¶Euery day they be alway a_flote | |
We must them receyue / and gyue them costes fre | |
975 | And also with them the fraternyte |
Of vnthryftes / which do our hous endewe | |
And neuer fayle with brethren alway newe | |
¶Also here is kept / and holden in degre | |
With-in our hous the ordres .viii. tyme thre | |
980 | Of knaues onely / we can them not kepe out |
They swarme so thyke as bees in a rout | |
And chyef of all that dooth vs encombre | |
The ordre of fooles / that be without nombre | |
For dayly they make suche preas and cry | |
sig: [E4] | |
985 | That scant our hous can them satysfy |
¶Copland |
|
¶Yet one thyng I wonder that ye do not tell | |
Come there no women this way to dwell? | |
¶Porter. |
|
¶Of all the sortes that be spoken of afore | |
I warraunt women ynow in store | |
990 | That we are wery of them euery day |
They come so thycke that they stop the way | |
The systerhod of drabbes / sluttes and callets | |
Do here resorte / with theyr bags and wallets | |
And be parteners of the confrary | |
995 | Of the maynteners of yll husbandry |
¶Copland. |
|
¶A lewd sorte is of them of a surety | |
Now mayster porter / I thank you hertyly | |
Of your good talkyng / I must take my leue | |
The shoure is done / and it is toward eue | |
1000 | Another tyme / and at more leaser |
I wyll for you do as great a pleaser | |
¶Porter. |
|
¶There be a .M. mo than I can tell | |
But at this tyme I byd you farwell. | |
¶Lenuoy of the auctour. |
|
GO lytell quayre to euery degre | |
And on thy mater desyre them to loke | |
Desyryng them for to pardon me | |
That am so bolde to put them in my boke | |
5 | To eschue vyce, I the vndertoke |
sig: [E4v] | |
[Dysdeyn]yng no maner of creature Upper margin torn; reading supplied from the Huntington copy. | |
I were to blame yf I them forsoke | |
None in this world, of welth can be sure. | |
¶Finis. |
|
¶Enprynted at London in the Fletestrete at the Rose_garland, by Robert_Copland. |