The Pride and Abuse of Women

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¶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

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,

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

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

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

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

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Take no example by shyre-Townes,

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

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,

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

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,

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

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,

You shall not beare the bell

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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

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,

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

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,

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

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,

And youre wytte full bare

When you sette more by proude vanytie,

Then by youre soules wel_fare

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Wyll, wyll, lustye wylful wyll,

Wyll marre all or it be longe

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,

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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

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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,

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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

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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,

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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

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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,

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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

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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,

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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

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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,

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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

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Because the deuell wythin vs doethe dwell,the] thee 1550

And resystethe bothe vertue and grace

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Nowe fye vpon proude strumpery,

And al vayne deuyllyshe stuffe

Awaye wyth it good people all,

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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

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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,

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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

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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,

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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

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Wherefore reformacyon wyll come shortlye,

And put you to more shame.

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And teache you to know gods lawes and your kinges,

And to walke in better frame

For your bummes wyll be better bounst at,

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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

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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

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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

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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,

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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

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For yf thy faythe bee not perfecte good,

Thy truste is not worthe a pyn

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Remember that hell is a wofull place,

Full of all cruell paynes and tormentes

And it is not thy wauering fayned fayth,

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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

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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,

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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.

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And of thys pryde and deuylyshe folye,

Full soone to haue redresse.

¶Finis. Quod Charles_Bansley.

¶Imprinted at London in Paules Church-yearde, at the Sygne of the Starre. By Thomas_Raynalde.the] thee 1550

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