A Pretty Complaint of Peace

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¶A pretye complaynt of Peace that was banyshed out of dyuers countreys and brought by Welth in-to England / and than fearyng both to be thens exiled, made great mone / vntyl Prudence retayned them agayne.

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¶The prologe to the reder.

AS one vnworthy to wryte or dedicate

For lacke of conning or pleasaunt eloquence

This simple worke, to any great estate

Or vnto them whiche haue experience

Of goodly lernynge by grace and influence

yet my poore hert which wyssheth all-thynge well

Wold Peace and Welth in England styl shold dwell

The poorest sorte therfore I do nowe praye

This for to rede, for they may dayly se

That where a house is fallen in decaye

It hath moost nede, newe mended for to be

So is this mater moost mete for pouerte

That nede of welth, which doth complayne and tell

That Peace and he in Englande coulde not dwell

How-beit all men I hertely desyre

For to receyue my true intencion

Whiche by this treatyse shall playnly well appere

That to my countrey I haue so good affection

To shewe the people, what hurt commeth of discencion

Wherfore yf ye wyll florysshe and excell

Let Peace and Welth, in Englande euer dwell

¶The ende of the prologe.

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¶The complaynte of Peace.

WEre it for theyr profyte that on euery syde

Men me refused I coulde be content

But seynge that in all the worlde so wyde

Where I am not, they haue cause to lament

Why wolde I than theyr madnes repent

Whiche euer-more are redy to rebell

And me exyle, which with them fayne wold dwell

And yet of pity I greatly do bewayle

Theyr vnkyndnes and inf[e]licite infelicite] infilicite 1538

To se the sorowe / the labour, and trauayle

That foloweth euer where-as they banysshe me

Yet one by an-other can not warned be

Untyll they fele suche wo and greuous payne

That they are glad to wys[s]he for me agayne wysshe] wysfhe 1538

Who wyll mourne at theyr misery

Or who may say one worde in theyr defence

For here I plede for my-selfe truly

That to no man I neuer dyd offence

But euer commaunded, trouthe and obedience

Unto theyr prynce / and one to loue an-other

As it besemeth euery chrysten brother

The brute beestes whiche lacke reason and wyt

Unto your shame, shewe loue and amitie

O folysshe man why doest thou than forget

Thy name / thy nature / and eke thy dignitie

Remembre lyke whom, that god hath formed the

And the hath made a creature reasonable

Mete to receyue his gyftes incomparable

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And yf that beestes / truly dyd me despyse

I wolde impute the contumely

Therof to nat[u]re / but ye that sholde be wyse

And haue of reason the very vse onely

Which that they lacke / yet shewe they forth dayly

More frendly concorde accordynge to theyr kynde

Than any men that I can se or fynde

Beholde the byrdes in companyes that fle

Note how the dere, and shepe in herdes do fede

The fysshe by scoles that swym as ye may se

The swarmes of bees / and also ye may rede

Of lytle antes the polesye and gyde

And many beestes that seldome fight and rage

But man with reason sheweth hym more sauage

Me-thynke that man of nature wolde desyre

To lyue in peace / remembrynge in his mynde

How poore and naked he fyrst in entred here

Whan nature onely was to hym suche a frende

To gyue hym souke / to swadell, and to wynde

Whiche elles forthwith than in his infancye

Must nedes haue dyed, there was no remedy

And yet yf nature with you can haue no place

In whom that reason ought to be resident

Whiche in brute beestes auayleth in that case

I wyll you shewe a thynge more excellent

Whiche sholde perswade, your frowarde yll intent

To loue / which is of Chryst the true doctryne

And ought to be your onely discyplyne

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That doctryne onely ye say you haue profest

Where are the dedes that sholde it than declare

Of concorde / peace / quietnes / and rest

Whan one with other, to fyght styll wyll not spare

I am a byrde that sene is very rare

In any lande there to contynue longe

Yet euer gladly I wolde them amonge

But I am dryuen away on euery syde

From lande to lande wors than a banysshed man

In any countrey, small tyme I do abyde

I am full wery / what remedy nowe than

Is there no counsell, that any gyue me can

Where that I may nowe haue a restynge-place

Amonge some people, that haue so good a grace

In Fraunce I trusted amonge them for to dwell

But there I founde my purpose was in vayne

For they full fearsly away dyd me expell

Than fled I thens to Flaunders and to Spayne

But warre myne enemy persued fast agyane

So that I was from thens full fayne to flye

In sundry countreys, and so to Italye

In Italy I was a certayne space

And sawe the bysshop with his cardinals

Dwellyng in Rome, with whom I found smal grace

I may them lyke full well to paynted wals

Recorde of Paule, whiche one of them so cals

Whiche dyd hym stryke / nothyng vnto his prayse

Agayne my wyll, whiche that am called Pease

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I dyd abhorre theyr great abhominacion

To se howe lordly they dyd bothe go and ryde

Nothynge lyke to Chrystes apostles fasshyon

There was couetous / lechery / and pryde

With other knackes, that I coulde not abyde

For prety poyson, there wrought so preuyly

I had small comforte to dwell in Italy

Than as I mused whyther for to fare

Whan as an outlawe they dyd me reprehende

A frende of myne byd me not to care

For in-to Englande he sayd he wolde me sende

Whiche countrey to me so hyly dyd commende

And his reporte I toke it also sure

That there for euer I thought styll to endure

Of welth I herde this goodly commendacion

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Whiche to me truly was no small comforte

To here of Englande the goodly cytuacion

Wherfore in haste I gate me to a porte

And sayled thens vntyll I dyd resorte

Unto that lande, where euen as welth had sayd

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I founde all-thyng, whiche made me well apayde

For in that region I had full gentyll chere

With welth my frende that helde me company

Whiche in Englande had dwelled many yere

And me assured that euen so sholde I

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Wherto I agreed, and so we bothe truly

Came to a city / where all-thynge was pleasaunt

Called London, somtyme Troye_nouaunt

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This city to me all other dyd excell

Theyr goodly ordre was to me great pleasure

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There found I concorde which lyked me ful well

With true dealyng / iust wayght / and good measure

Plenty of vitayle / golde, and great treasure

And Iustyce ruled there moost lyke a kynge

Whiche was to me surely a full ioyfull thynge

120

The poore people I sawe them fast apply

Theyr true labour, theyr housoldes to maynteyn housoldes: =households

That glad I was to se how louyngly

One dyd for other, refusynge no great payne

Loue in theyr hertes appered there so playne

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That there was neighbour, come dyne and go with me

And I shall surely go twyse as farre with the

Those louynge wordes greatly dyd me reioyce

So that I was in great felicitye

But sodeynly I herde a wonders noyse

130

Of one, Discencyon, come in the north-countree

Whiche was euer an enemy to me

And men of hym so greatly spake and sayd

That I was neuer before so moche afrayde

Yet dyd I hyde me there full preuely

135

In hope that wysedome, wolde put hym to flyght

How-beit I sawe there was no remedy

But that to warre all men were redy dyght

Wantyng nothyng that shold them helpe to fight

Full wo was I to se poore wyues mone

140

For theyr husbandes which to the war were gone

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Me-thought London was chaunged sodeynly

For there was romblyng and serche on euery syde

For bowes / bylles / speres / and swerdes truly

For gonnes / gonpoudre / and horses for to ryde

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Alas thought I what shall of me betyde

Suche ratlynge of har[n]eys I dyd both here and se

That I am dryuen from hens away to fle

Than in a nyght I stale me thens away

And toke my iourney towarde the west-country

150

The next mornyng soone after sprynge of day sprynge] sprynnge 1538

I had espyed a ryght great company

Of harneysed men / than in a busshe crepte I

Tyll they were paste / I was full sore afrayde

They clatered cornish I know not what they said

155

But than I was brought in-to moche dispayre

For west nor Eest, I wyst not where to go

In all Englande I sawe men dyd repayre

To warre / to warre / my cruell mortall fo

And as I was in this distresse and wo

160

I sawe one commyng full sad with heuy chere

Not lyke to fyght, to whom I drewe me nere

He dyd salute me with all gentylnes

Me-thought he was a man of honeste

How-beit his chere suche sorow dyd expres

165

That I forgate playne what that he sholde be

With his sad garmentes, which mornyng were to se

Untyll he spake, and toke me by the hande

And sayd he was lyke to forsake this lande

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Than by his voyce I knewe full well his name

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Which yet was chaunged through wo and pensifnes

What Welth sayd I? ye Peace quod he the same

Where art thou bounde in this great heuynes

It dothe appere thou arte in wofulnes

And yf in Englande there be no place for the

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Than knowe I well there is no grace for me

¶Welthe.

No no Peace, thou must from hens departe

And so must I, which doth me moche repent

The people are so fonde and ouerthwarte

That vntyll we a whyle haue ben absent

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And warre haue made them bare and indigent

They wyll not knowe the great diuersite

Of Peace, and warre / Welth, and aduersite

O Englande, Englande it dothe me greatly rue

The to forsake, whiche than must nedes decaye

185

How-beit thy people so frayle are and vntrue

That Peace and I with you abyde not maye

Whiche wyll at length, surely cause you to saye

Alas that euer we were so madde and wode

Them to exyle whiche were our frendes so good

190

Forsoth Peace / this dare I sure affarme

Of Englande haue I suche experience

That no countrey is able do it harme

And yf they kepe theyr true obedience

This lande sure is of suche excellence

195

They nede not feare no chrysten kynge nor Iewe

Yf in them-selfe they be both iust and trewe

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¶Peace.

Welth thou hast spoken not all that might be said

Of pleasaunt Englande, but nowe let it suffyse

For I ensure the I am full sore afrayde

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To se the people on euery syde aryse

Wherfore I pray the nowe gyue me thyne aduyse

This goodly countrey I wolde not yet forsake

And yf I wyst the besynes wolde aslake

¶Welthe.

To gyue the counsell nowe beynge in distresse

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I am in doubte what I to the may say

Which am in daunger as moche as thou doubtles

But yf thou wylte nedes tary and assay

Yf that the worlde wyll turne a better way

In-to some abbey amonge religious men

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There hyde thy-selfe, that is my counsell then

¶Peace.

Nay nay, by god I thynke not that waye best

I do mystrust theyr cloked holynes

There is no place for me to hyde in rest

For some men thynke that of this besynes

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Yf all were tryed they wolde not be gyltles

Wherfore those felowes I dare not come a_nye

For feare some-thyng be founde with them a_wrye

What may I do now for a certeyne space

To se yf that this mater wyll amende

220

For in no towne I dare ones shewe my face

Wel in-to wyldernes, I wyll now surely wende

And there to tary a tyme I do intende

My frende welth, what shal become of the

Wylt thou not now a whyle go dwel with me

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¶Welth.

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Alas Peace to lyue in wylde deserte

I haue not vsed, wherfore it wolde me greue

How sholde I welth there haue a mery herte

Where is no comforte, no socour nor relyue

But here of promes my trouth to the I gyue

230

And yf thou wylte in wyldernes go dwel

I wyll go se yf all-thynge may be wel

For to the courte I wyll strayght take my way

I am in fauour with the kynges counsell

There shal I heare some-thyng what they do say

235

Of that false knaue (Discencion) that rebell

And yf of trouthe that I may ones heare tel

That he be gone, with spede I wyll me hye

To brynge the worde where-euer that thou be

¶Peace.

I se wel Welth that thou canst not endure

240

In forestes wylde, amonge the busshes thycke

Thou hast ben vsed so moche vnto pleasure

That cold and hunger perchaunce wold make the sycke

Wherfore fare-wel good deynty gentyl greke

For at the courte ye wyll go fyll your wallet

245

And in the woodes I must go pyke a sallet

¶Welthe

My frende Peace / I praye the be content

My faythfull mynde thou nedest not to mystruste

But sythe thou hast a cowardes herte so faynt

That in the wodes now nedes hyde the thou must

250

I wyll auenture to proue and se the worst

And yf that wysdome may cause dyscorde to fle

That tydynges in post I wyll sure brynge to the

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And yf I se no hope nor remedy

But that Discencion is lyke to preuayle

255

Yet vnto the agayne sure come wyll I

And out of England than wyl we both hens sayle

Whiche wyl at length cause them ful sore to wayle

Wherfore farewell, syth we must nedes departe

And after sorowe god sende a mery herte

¶A Wofull complaynt of Peace, whan Welthe had forsaken hym.

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NOw am I here poore Peace lefte all alone

Which am constrayned to lyue in wyldernes

For welthe my frende vnto the court is gone

He must nedes be where-as all pleasure is

How-beit I haue yet some comforte of this

265

In courte men say is good to haue a frende

But out of syght perchaunce wyll out of mynde

For welthe in courte where is so good welfare

His olde true frendes dothe many tymes forgete

And speacyally yf they be poore and bare

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But yf with welthe no more that I may mete

Yet suche a let[te]r to hym than wyll I wryte letter] letetr 1538

That he shall knowe he is to moche vnkynde

That out of syght I sholde be out of mynde

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But of one thynge I am certayne and sure

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Thoughe Welth / In court lyue well and pleasauntly

That there he maye no great longe tyme endure

Except I Peace / must thyther come truely

Wherfore some payne / a whyle suffre wyll I

And se whiche waye that hurlle wyll the wynde

280

Thoughe out of syght / I be and out of mynde

O Welthe Welthe, of the maye I complayne

That in-to Englande brought me fyrst to dwell

Whiche to forsake / it were to me great payne

This goodly countrey forsothe I lyke so well

285

O madde people bothe folyshe and cruell

Small cause haue ye to triumphe or to ioye

Your pleasaunt lande / vnwyselye to destroye

Suppose ye by warre to cause it to encrease

In honoure, substaunce, ryches, and dygnyte

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Nay nay trulye / for yf that I poore Peace

Hens be exyled, than loke for pouerte

Warre nothynge bryngeth but great calamite

Ye folyshe people / what thynge do ye intende

Your owne dystruccyon styll foloweth at the ende

295

For thoughe I coulde now many thynges resyte

How euyll euer that rebelles haue preuayled

Whiche that I thynke not mete as nowe to wryte

Yet men alyue are / which that haue bewayled

Theyr noughty purpose which falsly hath them failed

300

Aske western men / which ones wer mad and wild

Howe wel they sped / for goyng to blackheth_felde

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I thynke small cause ye haue for to complayne

Excepte it be of pleasaunt welthynes

For no nacyon indureth lesser payne

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Who hath it proued / the matter may expres

But sure in Englande there is moche ydelnes

Whiche is the rote of great debate and stryfe

For euery wretche wyll lede an easy lyfe

Howbeit truely / there is a common sayenge

310

That great ryche-men / and borne to moche lande

Are chefe causers of good poore-mens decayenge

With kepyng of fermes / and pastors in theyr handes

I knowe not I / howe that the matter standes matter] matters 1538

But I am sure that Englande maye alone

315

Susteyne his people / requyrynge helpe of none

What sholde I medle with reragys and fynes

Whiche with extremyte / that some men do requere

Wherfore poore men / full often grones and whynes

Theyr tenementes set so hye and dere

320

They are yll greued and yet they knowe not where

And of theyr paynes wolde fayne haue remedye

How-beit theyr medsyne lyke poyson is contrarye medsyne: =medicine

Ye seke for ease as men whiche lacke all wytte

And worthy sure / of great reproue and blame

325

God hath ordeyned a Kynge royall and mete

For to commaunde Iustyce in his name

All thynges to order / to setle and to frame

Whome that ye ought to honour and obey

And not to seke by warre a folyshe way

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330

Warre is the cause of great destruccyon

It bryngeth men to wretched pouerte

And they whiche are / in true possessyon

Theyr very ryght causeth them to fle

They are to blynde / forsoth that wyll not se

335

The great ruyne that foloweth cruell warre

Where none is made / but euery man dothe marre

For many a Duke / Erle / Lorde / and knyght

Which thorowe Peace / do lyue full welth[e]ly welthely] welthly 1538

By forse of warre / are dryuen frome theyr ryght

340

And men of substaunce are brought to mysery

The poore plowman / also full wofully

Whiche pyketh out his lyuinge with great payne

Soweth his corne / into the grounde in vayne

For warre destroyeth bothe Cyte Towne and lande

345

Who can expresse any wretchednesse

But that in warre it redy maye be fande

Extreme hunger / [and] synne with moost excesse and] but 1538

Murder / burnynge / thefte / and fylthynesse

What chrysten man can loue that noughty lyfe

350

Where they defloryshe both wydow / mayd and wyfe

Ye ought of truthe greatly to be ashamed

Yf that ye note / your frowarde yll intent

That ye for christians / wold loke ons to be named

Sith christ your maister which was from heuen sent

355

Shewed by his lyfe / and his commaundement

That he had Peace / in fauoure mooste of pryce

But you loue warre / and count your-selfe for wyse

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And yet as fooles ye wyll sure proue at length

Ye make a rod to beate your tayle withall

360

God wyl be true, for al your power and strength

Your folysshe pryde wyll haue a shamfull fall

O frowarde man to thy remembraunce call

That warres rewarde shall be to the agayne

For all thy labour but sorowe, wo, and payne

365

Of Paules epistles ye shal rede fewe or none

But that with Peace he dothe al men salute

And how dothe he extoll my name alone

To the Corinthians, where he dothe me repute

Most worthy prayse, which thing shold you confute

370

That fauour warre, the rote of euery vice

Out of your foly for shame aryse aryse

What sholde I expresse that Esaye doth me prayse

Whiche beynge inspired with the spirite diuyne

Prophesyed before that Chryst sholde come in Peace

375

Not lyke a warriour which causeth moche ruyne

Syth that a hethen poet wrote so fyne

Countyng Peace (to your great shame I_wus)

Chiefe of all thynges / whose name was Sillius

Alas alas what maye I farther saye

380

Sith hethen poetes your honour do depryue

Which haue nothyng but reason for to laye

And ye the testament of gods moost holy lyfe

To loue discencion / discorde / debate and stryfe

Ye may be counted vnto your vtter shame

385

As men vsurpynge, of Chryst a wrongfull name

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Of authors more / what nede I to indyte

Syth god hym-selfe chiefe author of all-thynge

Dothe me commende, whiche ought you to excyte

To loue) whiche dothe so many pleasures brynge

390

And I doubte not, but that there is a kynge

In Englande, whiche so wel dothe fauour me

That I agayne shall come to my degre

But nowe of welthe I longe greatly to heare

Which in the court hath suche good bankettynge

395

He thynketh lytle vpon my euyl chere

That in the wodes, I haue, where byrdes synge synge] so synge 1538

I wolde reioyce nowe moche of his commynge

It is .viij. wekes syth that on yonder playne

He went fro me / god sende hym sone agayne

400

I meruayle moche he is awaye so longe

How-beit his taryenge I lyke it some-what wel

For I suppose, and yf all-thynge were wronge

He is to wyse there to abyde and dwel

Some mery tydynges I hope he wyl me tel

405

Wherfore come welth my mynde doth moch desire

To se the ones, now pleasauntly appere

¶welth saluteth Peace.

God blysse the Peace, and sende the wel to fare

Thou hast me-thynke a chaunged peare of chekes

Is it with hunger, or els with wo and care

410

What meat hast thou? onyons / chese / or lekes

Thou art abated ryght euyll in .viij. wekes

Plucke vp thy herte / be mery, glad and fayne

Discencion is gone, with all his noughty trayne

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¶Peace.

Now welcome welth euen with all my hert

415

Thy mery tydynges dothe greatly me reioyce

Me-thynke that gone is all my care and smert

Thy ioyfull wordes do make so good a noyse

Now of my meat thou shalt sure haue the choyse

And for thy drynke, for lacke of pleasaunt wyne

420

I wyl the gyue swete water, clere and fyne

¶Welthe.

Gramercy Peace of thy great gentylnes

I meruayle not that thou art maserate

To se thy fare so bare in wyldernes

For al-thyng here thy courage dothe abate

425

How-be-it agayne, I trust to eleuate

The) for with wysedom I trust so sure to stande

That false Discencion shal neuer hurt this lande

And who thynkest thou hath caused hym to fle

Whiche in this mater hath wrought moost besyly

430

But Prudence) that is a frende to the and me

And he hath handled the thynge so wyttyly

That we haue cause to loue hym hertely

For by his wysedome, his labour, and his payne

All thynges are ended, and no man kylled nor slayne

435

But Peace I pray the now with all haste and spede

The to prepare vnto the court to wende

And I shall holde the company and gyde

The kynges grace dyd me vnto the sende

To brynge the forthe, whiche doth the so commende

440

That thou art bounde for euermore to loue

That godly prince, which war doth moche reproue

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And noble-men which are his counsellers

So dothe the fauour, that thou canst neuer fall

For some of them haue proued the chaunce of warres

445

Whiche knowe it is the sprynge of myschiefes all

And I am sure that many one now shall

Whiche were great doers in this besynes

Whyle that they lyue, fynde payne of nedynes

But wo alas this nacion is so frayle

450

That often-tymes of foly mad and vayne

They wolde set forth the blynde and folysshe tayle

To rule the heed which hath bothe wyt and brayne

I say no more, for many knowe the payne

That hath ensued of false discorde and stryfe

455

Though they haue scaped the haserd of theyr lyfe

¶Peace.

O lusty welthe, nowe cherefull is my mode

Though fooles of foly the sorowe do susteyne

That I do fynde the kynge to me so good

Within his lande me styll for to retayne

460

And that his lordes of me be also fayne

I do reioyce therof so hertely

That to the courte I wyll go meryly

¶welthe.

Now come on than, for thou arte founde absent

In wyldernes thou mayst not hyde thy face

465

Thou must obey the kynges commaundement

With whom thou art in fauour and in grace

He wyll the sende abrode in euery place

To shewe his people his blessed godly wyll

That thou and I / in Englande dwel shall styll

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¶Peace.

470

Nowe by my faythe I wyll neuer deny

Hym for to serue, which is so gracyous

Wherfore haue with the forth strayght by and by

My herte is pleased that was full tedious

Syth that the way is nothynge daungerous

475

Wherfore I trust to make a plentyous rayme rayme: ='realm'?

Now war is gone, that cursed noughty cayme

For I may tryumphe, which late in wyldernes

Was in dispayre lest Welth had me disceyued

Whan he departed fro me but now doubtles

480

In-to the court I am so wel receyued

That many thinges which war wold haue decayed

I trust to se them florysshe vp and sprynge

There is so noble and gracious a kynge

Whom god I praye, his royall maieste

485

Alwayes preserue and make hym fortunate

Agayne all those what-euer that they be

That wolde vnwysely or falsly violate

Eng[la]nde his realme) and maynteyn euery estate Englande] Engalnde 1538

With gentylmen, and commons good and true

490

And cause rebels theyr folysshnes to rue

FINIS.

sig: [C3v]

¶Imprynted at London in Flete_strete / at the signe of the sonne, by me Iohan_Byddell.

Cum priuilegio.