The Example of Evil Tongues

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¶The example of euyll tongues.

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WIth pyte moued to my payne I dyde me dres

To shew the people what doth them most greuans

I saye yll tonges full of bytter crewelnes

In this worlde may be no greter penaunce

Thes be the clappers of sorowe the skorges of vengans

These preuy morderers these comberous hell-wedes hell-wedes: see OED s.v. hell-weed, hellweed, where the first attestation is 1640.

Be cause of grete meschefe and dystroyers of good dedys

Yf there were in the worlde none other punyshement

But yll tonges onely in especyall

Of very ryght it were suffycyent

Seyenge how euery creature nowe ouer-all

Is sodeynly smyten with this venemous spere mortall

Of comberous tonges that god ne man dredys

By cause of myschefe and dystroyers of good dedys By: =be

Bothe ryche and poore be brought in torment

By this cursed slo-worme that swelleth worse than a tode

I mene the yll tonge that venymous serpent

Whiche many good doer destroyed with a worde

Who ledeth theyr lyfe now in peasyble concorde

Full fewe for yll tonges so moche sorowe bredys

They be cause of myschefe and dystroyed good dedys

No enemy so lytell we out hym to doute out: =ought

Ne none so grete rome but remedy may be founde rome ='office, position, authority'; see OED s.v. room n1, 12b.

If it in tyme be perceyued and brought oute

Than to a good ende it may rebounde

But an yll tonge so brode renneth the sounde

Fro bad to worse and so myschefe spedys

Whiche caused many a man to withdrawe good dedys withdrawe ='cease'; see OED s.v. withdraw v10.

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The tonge is instrument of lyes treason and trechery

And causeth warre morther myschefe without ende

Grete multytude of other with ypocrysy

Rebellyons thefte dyscorde full yll to defende

Fyghtynge chydynge to stryfe euer Intende

With shame and sclaunder to yll fortune all ledes

Lo how the tonge caused myschefe and dystroyed good dedes

Some theues escapen and many true men be hanged

It is dayly sene in this worlde rounde

Faythfull people by yll tonges be condempned

That to vntruth there dydes neuer dyde founde founde ='practise', or 'establish'? See OED s.vv. found v1, 4b, found v2, 4.

But he that cometh in daunger of an yll tonge

Seldome or neuer he scapeth there-fro

For by an yll tonge the good name is soone a_go

And this yll Ioynt of moost dyspyte

Sormounteth all venyme of serpentes fell

They haue suche malycyous appetyte

They may be lykened to the fende of hell

The sorowe that by them is rered no man may tell

The true seruaunt put out of fauour that is pyte and wo

For by an euyll tonge the good name is soone a_go

A false tonge wyll euer Imagyne and saye

That neuer by creature was sayd ne thought

And this hath be sene and is euery daye

The fader and mother betraye[d] and in sorowe brought betrayed] betraye 1525

Many good folke hath sclaunder dere bought

As loste theyr goodes and theyr lyues also

For by an yll tonge the good name is soone a_go

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Many there be that neuer dyde offende

Whiche by an euyll tonge is brought to dysshonoure

And in-to an euyll name sone they be co[ndemp]nde condempnde] comptende 1525, condemde 1510

That a .M. to theyr good name can not them restore

The claterers condycyon is to grose vp more and more grose: =gross, 'engross, collect, monopolize'.

Maydens by them is blamed wedowes and other mo

For by an euyll tonge the name is soone go

There is many one blamed and accused for nought

And many gyltles theyr lyues fro them is take

Ye and a thousande into pouerte brought

That dayly goth a_begynge and prayed for goddes sake

And all thorowe tale-tellers his s[o]rowe doth wake sorowe] scrowe 1525, scrow 1510

Whiche caused many one theyr-selfe to slo

Where-by an euyll tonge theyr good name is a_go

Full many be brought to dyseas and captyuyte

In euery regyon that man can trauayll

The tonge is causer of this wofull aduersyte

Full lytell or nought now dooth trouth auayll

True heyers be dysheryte without ony fayll

With wepynge and waylynge some waxeth blynde

And all causeth euyll tonges moost enemy to mankynde

Thoughe some preestes now be neuer so pacyent

And in towne and cyte be pease ouer-all

Or though the relygyous be neuer so obedyent

Yet an euyll tonge wyll trouble them all

Multyplyenge of lesynges by hym aryse shall

To trouble good people in soule and mynde

This is euyll tonges moost enemy to mankynde

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Yf ony man wolde begynne his synnes to reny

Or ony good people that fro vyce dyde refrayne

What-so-euer he were that to vertue wolde applye

But an yll tonge wyll all ouer-throwe agayne

Lo by whome is raysed all this grete payne

Of sorowefull sclaunder that flyeth as the wynde

These yll tonges be moost enemy to mankynde

I saye not but warre is grete abusyon

Yet is there not so many as is with yll tonges slayne

And though honger be neuer so sharpe for the season

Yet for all that god some people doth sustayne

Of frostes grete some people be not fayne

But so sore grefe no-where may we fynde

As i[s] the yll tonge moost enemy to mankyn[d]e is] it 1525, is 1510; mankynde] mankynge 1525

Though sodayne deth be neuer so rygorous

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Yet by preestes it seaseth at the laste

But where all yll tonges lyste to be malycyous

There is neuer remedy whan the worde is past

To lye and saye wronge they be neuer agast

Of heuen and hell they haue lytell mynde

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I meane yll tonges moost enemy to mankynde

Speke of salpeter arsnek or ony poyson mortall

The fyre of hell the blood of serpentes venymmous

Ye fynde none sone so peryllous amonge all

As is the yll tonge to them that be vertuous

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They be of malyce so full and rygorous

For they that lyste to do well and ther[t]o do theyr payne therto] ther o 1525, therto 1510

By the euyll tongue all is ouerthrowe agayne

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Therfore euery creature take hede what ye saye

For yf the worde be escaped at any throwe

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It wyll not be called agayne though thou wolde laye

Bothe lyfe and goodes and on it bestowe

I wolde wete how we a good tongue sholde knowe

It wyll not be for_by the subtyll trayne for_by ='near'

Of the yll tongue whiche all ouerthroweth a_gayne

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Men shette surely theyr chystes with syluer and golde

With dyuyrs Iulles of grete comodytes

Furred gownes in grayne ryght goodly to beholde

Yet were they better to kepe theyr aduersaryes close

The yll tonge and sette all the other lose

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For many hath purposed to amende with herte fayne

But an yll tonge ouerthroweth agayne

For that yll by another dothe saye

Yf he his owne defautes dyde well beholde

How many tymes hymselfe is out of the waye out of the waye ='at fault'

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Full gladly than his tonge kepe he wolde

For yf pykethankes theyr owne fautes se sholde

To theyr hertes it wolde be a grete payne

For by yll tonges all vertue is ouer-throwe agayne

All people beware of these yll tonges most peryllous

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And eschewe them where-euer you go

Tonge breketh bone he is so malycyous

And none hath hymselfe all knoweth it is so

Sclander cometh lyghtly whiche causeth grete wo

For though thou be in name I tell the playne in name ='of good reputation'?

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By an yll tonge all is ouerthrowen agayne

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These comberose clamores in euery towne

That thynge whiche the deuyll can not brynge about

An yll tonge wyll performe by vnkynde perolysene vnkynde perolysene [sic 1510]: the text seems corrupt at this point. Perhaps the text originally read 'perolys sowne' [='harmful rumour'] and an adj. 'vnkynde' was added when the meaningless 'perolysene' was taken as a noun.

Yf a thousande fendes were to_gyder in a route

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Coude not by theyr malyce suche falshede vter oute

To brynge the people to grete dessensyon

As doth these yll tonges mannes moost confusyon

O enuyous tonges destroyers of hye and lowe degre

Thy wycked sedes thou doest sowe downe

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Here and elles-where ouer euery countre

Bothe in cyte borowe vyllage and towne

Sease thy rorynge thou fendly lyon

In the coffer of scyence hyde the full soone

For yll tonges is mannes most confusyon

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He that can kepe his tonge and beware

Laude vnto hym shall euer encrease

And where that euer he go he nede not to care

For he is sure of reste and pease

More of this mater I nede not reherse

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For take these wordes for a conclusyon

That yll tonges is euer mannes confusyon

¶Amen.

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