Excellent Epitaph, An

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¶An excellent Epitaffe of syr Thomas_wyat, with two other compendious dytties, wherin are touchyd, and set furth the state of mannes lyfe.

WYat resteth here, that quicke coulde neuer rest.

Whose heuenly gyftes, encreased by dysdayne

And vertue sanke, the deper in his brest

Suche profyte he, of enuy could optayne

¶A Head, where wysdom mysteries dyd frame

Whose hammers beat styll in that lyuely brayne

As on a styth, where some worke of Fame

Was dayly wrought, to turn to Brytayns gaine

¶A Uysage sterne and mylde, where both dyd groo

Uyce to contempne, in vertues to reioyce

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Amyd great stormes, whome grace assured so

To lyue vprighte and smyle at fortunes choyse.

¶A Hand that taught what might be saide in rime

That refte Chaucer, the glorye of his wytte

A marke, the whiche [(]vnperfited for tyme) (] 1545 omits, ( 1557

Some may approche but neuer none shall hyt.

¶A Tonge, that serued in foraine realmes his king

Whose curtoise talke, to vertu dyd enflame.

Eche noble harte a worthy guyde to brynge

Our Englysshe youth, by trauayle vnto fame.

¶An Eye, whose iudgement, no affect coulde blind

Frendes to allure, and foes to reconcyle

Whose pearcynge looke, dyd represent a mynde.

With vertue fraught, reposed, voyde of gyle.

¶A Harte, where drede yet neuer so imprest yet neuer so imprest] was neuer so imprest 1557, yet neuer so opprest Harl

To hide the thought þ a t might the trouth auaunce

In neyther fortune lyfte nor so represt In neyther fortune lyfte nor so represt] In neyther fortune lost, nor yet represt 1557, In nether fortune lyste nor sor e opprest Harl

To swell in welth, nor yelde vnto mischaunce

¶A valiaunt Corps, where force and beautye met

Happy, alas, to happy but for foos.

Lyued, and ran the race that nature set

Of manhodes shape, where she the mold did loos

¶But to the heauens that symple soule is fleed.

Which lefte with such, as couet Christe to knowe

Witnes of faith that neuer shalbe deade

Sent for our welth, but not receiued so welth] helth 1557, welthe Harl

Thus for our gylt, this iewell haue we lost

The earth his bones, the heuen possesse his goost

AMEN.

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¶The myrroure or Glasse of Fortune.

WHan fortune fauoureth and setteth a_lofte

In hye estate man for to raigne

Then all men cometh to him full ofte

And couey[t]sletter illegible with him, for to remaine

His company none will disdaine,

Thus frendes he getteth, many a one

But if he fall, I saye certaine.

Of all his frendes then hath he none.

Whan he doth rule him they obeye

And serue him styll, at all assayes

Attentifely, without delaye.

Great paines they take, both nightes and dayes

With all their power him for to please

Thus frendes he getteth many a one

But if he fall they turne theyr wayes.

Of all his frendes then hath he none.

¶As longe as he, is in his welth

Nothinge to him than shall be deare.

In his estate, haue he his helth

All honour to him than shall appeare

Of most and lest, both farre and nere

Thus frendes he getteth many one

But if he fall, than euerye-where,

Of al his frendes, than hath he none.

¶Man thus a_loft, knoweth not his frende.

For all men than, to him applye

Shewynge them-selues, to him moste kynde.

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As though they wolde both lyue and dye

At his byddynge alway readye,

Thus frendes he getteth many a one

But if he fall they hym denye

Of all his frendes, than hath he none.

¶In his estate they wyll ensewe

To folowe him all that they may

In right or wronge, false or trewe

Hys wyll truely, none will gaynesaye

Though by and by they hym bewraye

Suche fayned frendes, be many one

And if he fall they him denaye

Of all his frendes, than hath he none.

¶Whan fortune on the dothe laugh or smyle

Geuynge the greate possessyon

Be lowly and gentle all the whyle

Thinking on her progression

Some she exalteth, some by suppression

Falleth vnder-fote, as doth manye one

So turneth the whele, without intercession

Some to good chaunce, annd some to none.

¶Whan thou art downe, farewell a_dew

No more seruyce, thou hast at all

Whan broken is thy retinew

On thy name than no man wyll call

Disdaynfull wordes on the go shall

Foes thou shalt haue, many a one

Which wyll reioyce, at thy great fall

Of all thy frendes, than hast thou none.

¶Thus vnder-fote whan thou arte brought

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Whom thou doost fauour moost of all

By the truly wyll set right nought

Scant a good worde gyue the he shall

Unmyndfull how beneficiall

Thou wast than to many a one

And whan thy dignitie doth fall

Of all thy frendes, than hast thou none.

¶Thus fareth the worlde, both to and fro

Whan man is in aduersitie

Who is he than, that wyll him knowe

Or helpe him in extremitie

Whan he is stricke, without pitie

With the foule darte, of cruell disdayne

None than on him shall haue mercy

Lye he in wo, pynynge in payne.

Finis.

A compendious dittie wherin is touched the state of mans lyfe,

NO wyght in this world, that welth can attayne

Onelesse he beleue, that all is but vayne

And loke how it cometh, so leaue it to go

As tydes vse theyr tymes, to ebbe and to flo,

This mucke on the molde, that men so desyre

Doth worke them much wo, and moueth them to yre

With grefe it is gotte, with care it is kepte

With sorowe sone lost, that longe hath ben repte

And wo worth that man, that first dolue the moulde

To fynde out the myne, of syluer and golde

For whan it lay hyd, and to vs vnknowen

Of stryfe and debate, the sede was not sowen

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Than lyued m[e]n wel and helde them content men] man 1545, men 1547

With meate, drynke and cloth without any rente

Theyr houses but poore to shroude them-selues in

For castels and towres, were than to begine

No towne had his wall, they feared no warre

Nor ennemies hoste to seke them afarre

So ledde they their lyues in quiete and reste

Tyll hourde began hate from East vnto west

And golde for to growe a lorde of great pryce

Which chaunged the worlde from vertue to vyce

And turned all-thinge so farre from his kynde

That howe it shulde be, is worne out of mynde

For rychesse beareth nowe the fame and the brute

And onelye the cause of all our pursute.

Which maketh among vs muche mischief to reigne

And shall tyll we seke the right waye agayne

Whan mariage was made for vertue and loue,

Then was no diuorse goddes knotte to remoue,

Whan iudges wolde suffer no brybes in theyr syghte,

Their iudgementes was than according to right

Whan prelates had not possessions nor rent

They preached the truthe and truelye they wente

Whan men dyd not flatter for fauoure nor mede,

Than kinges herd the truth, and how the world yede

And men vnto honour through vertue did rise

But all this is turned contrarywise is turned] is nowe tourned 1547

For money maketh all, and ruleth as a god

Which ought not to be, for Christ it forbod

And bad that we shulde take nothynge in hand

But for the lordes loue, and welth of the lande

And willes vs full ofte, that we shulde refraine

From wrastynge his wil, to make our owne gaine,

For couetous folke of euery astate

As hardely shall enter within heauen-gate

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As through a nedles eye a camell to crepe

Why do these madde-men then hourde vp and kepe,

Ye more then maie serue them-selues to suffice

As though perfecte blysse shulde that waye arise

But if they wolde suffer to sinke in their brest

What trouble of mynde what vnquiete reste

What myschiefe, what hate this mony dothe bringe,

They woulde not so toyle for so vyle a thinge

For they that haue much, are euer in care

Whiche waie to wynne, and how for to spare

Theyr slepes be vnsounde for feare of the theefe

The losse of a littell doth worke them much grefe

In sekyng theyr lacke they want that they haue

And subiecte to that which shuld be their slaue

They neuer doo knowe, whyles ryches doth reygne ryches] rychesse 1547

A frende of effecte from him that doth [f]eygne feygne] seygne 1545, feigne 1547

For flatterers seeke where fortune doth dwell

And whan that she lowreth, they byd them farewel

The poore doth them curse as ofte as they want

In hauyng so much to make it so scant

Theyr children somtymes do wysshe them in graue

That they myght possesse that rychesse they haue

And that which they wyne with trauayle and stryfe

Oftentymes (as we se) doth cost them theyr lyfe

Lo these be the fruites that rychesse bryngeth forth

With many other mo, whiche be no more worth

For monie is cause of murder and thefte

Of bataile and bloudshed, which wold god were left

Of rauyne, of wronge, of false witnesse-bearyng

Of treason conspired, and eke of forswearynge.

And for to be shorte and knyt vp the knot

Fewe mischeues at all that money makethe not.

But though it be yll, whan it is abused,

Yet neuertheles it may be well vsed.

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Nor I do not fynde that men be denyde

Of sufficient thynges them-selues to prouyde,

Accordynge as god hath put them in place,

To haue and to holde a tyme and space:

So it be well wonne and after well spent:

For it is not theirs, but for that intent,

And if they so do, than it is good skyll,

They haue that is mete to vse at their will

As priestes shuld not take promocions in hande

To lyue at their ease lyke lordes of the lande

But onely to feade gods flocke with the truth

To preache and to teache without any slouth

Nor folkes shulde not neade great ryches to wynne ryches] rychesse 1547

But godly to lyue and for to flee synne

Hys wyll for to worke that is theyr soules helth

And than may they thynke, they lyue in much welth

For in this vayne worlde that we be nowe in

Is nothynge but misery, myschefe and synne

Temptation, vntrouthe, contencion, and strife

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Than lette vs nat sette by so vyle a lyfe

But lyfte vp our eyes, and loke throughe our faythe

Beholdynge his mercies, that many tymes saithe

The iuste men shall lyue by theyr good belefe

And shall haue a place where can be no grefe

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But gladnesse and myrth that none can amende

Unspeakable ioyes, whiche neuer shall ende

With pleasures that passe all that we haue sought

Felicities such as can not be thought

Whiche place they shall haue, that his wyll intendes

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With lyfe euerlastynge, and thus my tale endes.

Viuit post funera uirtus.

¶Imprynted at London by Iohn_Herforde for Roberte_Toye.