sig: A1 | |
¶A treatyse, shewing and declaring the pryde and abuse of women now-a_dayes. |
|
BO_pepe what haue I spyed, Bo-peep: apparently used as an interjection; see OED. | |
A bug I trow, deuysing of proud knacks | |
For wanton lasses and galant women, | |
And other lewde noughty packes | |
5 | O cursed pride, the spring and rote of eueri sin, |
Full yll myghte thou fare | |
For thou hast brought thys wealthy realme, | |
Into moche payne and care | |
And what maketh vs to fall from God, | |
10 | And thus wyckedly to lyue as we doo |
But pryde, pryde thys curssed vyce, | |
That hath banished welth, and brought vs woo | |
And yet wyl the wycked, cloke thys pryde, | |
And prayse it and lyke it well | |
15 | But theyr prayse and cloke wyll not serue, |
But hoyste them to the deuyll of hell | |
They saye that all the pryde is in the harte, | |
And none in the garmentes gaye | |
But surely yf there were no proude hartes | |
20 | There would be no proude araye |
For scripture saith that your proud garments and behauior | |
Do shewe playnely what you are wythin | |
And therfore your fonde blynd skuses wyl not serue, skuses=excuses, see OED s.v. scuse | |
They are not worth a pyn | |
25 | For lyke as the iolye ale-house,the] thee 1550 |
Is alwayes knowen by the good ale-stake | |
So are proude Ielots sone perceaued to,Ielots=gillots | |
By theyr proude foly and wanton gate | |
sig: [A1v] | |
Take no example by shyre-Townes, | |
30 | Nor of the Cytie of London |
For therein dwell proude wycked ones, | |
The poyson of all this region | |
For a stewde strumpet can not so soone, | |
Gette vp a lyghte lewde fashyon | |
35 | But euerye wanton Ielot wyll lyke it well, |
And catche it vp anon | |
And yet Goddes worde is agaynste you playne, | |
And calleth it abhomination | |
Nowe fye for shame that Christen people, | |
40 | Shoulde lyke anye soche wycked fashyon |
For they that walcke in proude raymente, | |
Walcke not truelye in spyryte and fayth | |
But in a flesshely deuelyshe waye, | |
For so the Scripture sayeth | |
45 | Sponge vp youre vysage olde bounsynge trotte, |
And trycke it wyth the beste | |
Tyll you tricke and trotte youre-selfe, | |
To the deuyls trounsynge-neste | |
Oure trotte oure trotte oure lustye trotte, | |
50 | Whyche shoulde be mooste sadde and playne |
Is nowe become a trickynge one, | |
And a wanton trincklet agayne | |
Thys from the deuyll and the stewes, Thys=Thus | |
Commeth youre tricksynesse that you lyke so well | |
55 | To tricke vp youre Carkas to the sayle, |
And to trappe youre soule to hell | |
Wyth whyppet a whyle lyttle prety one, | |
Prancke it and bragge it well | |
For yf you iette not nycelye, | |
60 | You shall not beare the bell |
sig: A2 | |
The scole-house of women is nowe well practysed, | |
And to moche put in vre | |
Whyche maketh manye a mans hayre to growe, | |
Thorowe hys hoode you maye be verye sure | |
65 | For there are some prancked Gosseps euery-where, |
Able to spyll a whole countrie | |
Whyche mayntayne pryde ryot and wantonnes, | |
Lyke mothers of all iniquitie | |
Take hede to thys good husbandes all, | |
70 | Take good hede and beware |
Least youre wyues raymente and galante trickes, | |
Doo make youre thryfte full bare | |
And loke well ye men to youre wyues trycksynes, | |
Whyche is to shamefull wyde | |
75 | Or some wyll not stycke or it be longe, |
To horne you on euerye syde | |
He that is a foole, maye be a Iacke-dawe, | |
And so continue all hys lyfe | |
That loketh not wyselye vpon hys charge, | |
80 | And the proude foly of hys wyfe |
What, shall the graye mayre be the better horse, | |
And be wanton styll at home? | |
Naye, then wylcome home syr woodcocke, | |
Ye shall be tamed anone | |
85 | Youre blasynge wyfe maye be youre sygne, |
And serue to call in gesse | |
A pleasaunte stale for the deuyll hym-selfe, | |
And a member of all lewdnesse | |
Youre charge is greate, youre honestye small, | |
90 | And youre wytte full bare |
When you sette more by proude vanytie, | |
Then by youre soules wel_fare | |
sig: [A2v] | |
Wyll, wyll, lustye wylful wyll, | |
Wyll marre all or it be longe | |
95 | And cause the tryckeste of you all, |
To synge a carefull songe | |
Downe for shame wyth these bottell-arste bummes, | |
And theyr trappynge trinkets so vayne | |
A bounsinge packsadel for the deuyll to ryde on, | |
100 | To spurre theym to sorowe and payne |
It is not proud rayment that maketh the honest, | |
But thy condycyons playne | |
For cursed be they that walcke wyckedly, | |
And heare Goddes worde in vayne | |
105 | Rubbe forthe olde Trottes to the deuyl warde, |
Seme ye neuer so holye | |
Youre glosynge woordes wyll not serue, | |
When youre worckes be wycked and full of foly | |
And yet the deuylyshe wyll be proude styll, | |
110 | For that is all theyr delyghte |
To please theyr lewde lemmans all the daye, | |
And to strumpe it well at nyght | |
Ducke Ielot ducke, ducke pretye Minions, | |
Beware the Cokingstoole Cokingstoole=cucking-stool | |
115 | Ducke galant trickers wyth shame ynoughe, |
Your wanton corage for to cole | |
Huffa goldylocx, ioly lusty goldylocx, | |
A wanton tricker is come to Towne | |
Wyth a double fardyngale and a caped Cassoc, | |
120 | Moche lyke a players Gowne |
Awaye wyth lyght rayment and learne to go sadly, | |
For that is beste of all | |
That in no wyse for thy carkas sake, | |
Thou caste awaye thy soule | |
sig: [A3] | |
125 | From Rome from Rome thys ca[n]kerd pryde, cankerd] carkerd 1550 |
From Rome it came doutles | |
Away for shame wyth soch filthy baggage, | |
As smels of papery and deuelyshenes | |
Lorde what Romishe monsters make ye your children, | |
130 | To shamefull to be tolde |
Ye make them sure your god almyghtes, | |
And Popyshe ydolatry ye do vpholde | |
Many straunge regions haue I bene in, | |
And marked well the fashyon | |
135 | But so moch proude foly and wantonnes, |
Saw I neuer in no nacyon | |
And yet blynd dotardes perceyue not thys, | |
Tyll they be brought to thrall | |
But styll wynke and walke in the deuyls wayes, | |
140 | Tyll he posses theyr soule |
Loke to thy householde wysely, | |
And bryng them vp playnely in vertue and godlynes | |
That hereafter they doo not come, | |
To no myschaunce and lewdenesse | |
145 | Dysfygure not youre faces good honeste women, |
Wyth no lyghte horysshe fashyon | |
Leste it brynge you into yll fame, | |
And sclaunderous estemacyon | |
For honeste women shoulde stycke to honestye, | |
150 | And vpholde no harlottes guyse |
But amende and rebuke all wonton lewdenesse, | |
And learne to bee sadde and wyse | |
Our lyght is oute oure example is wycked, | |
And stynckes before Goddes face | |
155 | Because the deuell wythin vs doethe dwell,the] thee 1550 |
And resystethe bothe vertue and grace | |
sig: [A3v] | |
Nowe fye vpon proude strumpery, | |
And al vayne deuyllyshe stuffe | |
Awaye wyth it good people all, | |
160 | Or loke for greate vengeaunce and sorow ynoughe |
And beware also prety one, | |
And see that you amende thys gere | |
Or haue ye shall as many mockes, | |
As youre greate ars can beare | |
165 | But come home agayne to sadnesse, |
And I wyll saye no more | |
For yf you do not shortlye, | |
My pen muste vexe you sore | |
And now ryght worthy and sadde women all, | |
170 | Wyth you no faute I fynde. |
For your good honestye and sadde demeanor, | |
Doeth well shewe youre godly mynde | |
And I speake not agaynste no playne women, | |
As walke in godlye wyse | |
175 | But agaynst suche wanton dyssemblers, |
As doeth goddes truthe despyse | |
And therfore I truste no honest women, | |
Herewyth wyl be offended | |
But suche as lyue vngracyously, | |
180 | And lyst not to be amended |
We wonder moche at these nyppynge plages, | |
That daylye on vs doo fall | |
But nothynge we wonder at oure synfull fashions, | |
That are chefe cause of all | |
185 | Wherefore reformacyon wyll come shortlye, |
And put you to more shame. | |
sig: [A4] | |
And teache you to know gods lawes and your kinges, | |
And to walke in better frame | |
For your bummes wyll be better bounst at, | |
190 | Or it be verye longe |
And make suche lustye bounsyng ones, | |
To synge a playner songe | |
For thoughe some take the matter hylye, | |
And sore be offended here-wythall | |
195 | Yet maye I not spare to speake the truthe, |
Howe pryde wyll haue a fall | |
Rubbe a galde horse on the backe,the] thee 1550 | |
And he wyll kycke and wynse | |
And so wyll wanton wylyons, wylyons=villains? or wyly on[e]s? cf. prety one, sp. pretyone | |
200 | When they haue anye snaper or twynche OED cites this line as the only instance of the word snaper: 'Of uncertain meaning'. For twynche see OED s.v. twinge |
But kycke and wynche clatter and chatter, | |
At the truthe as moche as you lyste | |
Your pryde wyll come downe wyth shame ynoughe, | |
Beware of had I wyste | |
205 | For preachyng and teachyng we ar neuer the better, |
But rather worse and worse | |
The heathen lyue farre better then we, | |
And therefore haue we goddes curse | |
We trust and beleue we can not tell howe, | |
210 | Euen as we lyste oure-selues |
But that trust and fayth muste we amende, | |
Or hell-fyre shall we posses | |
To presume on goddes mercye is as greate a faute, | |
As too dyspayre therein | |
215 | For yf thy faythe bee not perfecte good, |
Thy truste is not worthe a pyn | |
sig: [A4v] | |
Remember that hell is a wofull place, | |
Full of all cruell paynes and tormentes | |
And it is not thy wauering fayned fayth, | |
220 | That can delyuer the from thens |
O foole, foole more then starke madde, | |
Not sure to lyue one houre | |
How darest thou so proudely offend thy Lorde God, | |
Of soche almyghty power | |
225 | Lyue godly and do good worckes, |
And spend thy shorte tyme well | |
For a wanton lyfe and vycyous, | |
Is the very ryghte waye to hell | |
And thus God sende vs grace euerychone, | |
230 | In vertue and sadnes to remayne |
And for oure sad and honest playnes, playnes: see OED s.v. plain n2 (=plaint) | |
A ioyefull place in heauen | |
GOD saue Kyng Edward and his noble counsail al, | |
And send vs peace and reste. | |
235 | And of thys pryde and deuylyshe folye, |
Full soone to haue redresse. | |
¶Finis. Quod Charles_Bansley. |
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¶Imprinted at London in Paules Church-yearde, at the Sygne of the Starre. By Thomas_Raynalde.the] thee 1550 (T)*_(R) |