O man vnauysed, thy blyndnes set asyde
Knowledge thy owne foly thy statelynes expel
Let nat for thy eleuate mynde nor folysshe pryde,
To order thy dedes by goode and wyse counsel
Howbeit thou thynke thy reason doth excel
Al other mennys wyt. yet oft it doth befall.
Anothers is moche surer: and thyn the worst of all.
* * * * *
Of disordred and vngoodly maners.
[Illustration: Drawe nere ye folys of lewde condicion
Of yll behauoure gest and countenaunce
Your proude lokys, disdayne and derysyon
Expresseth your inwarde folysshe ignoraunce
Nowe wyll I touche your mad mysgoueraunce
Whiche hast to foly, And folysshe company
Treylynge your Baybll in sygne of your foly]
In this our tyme small is the company
That haue good maners worthy of reuerence
But many thousandes folowe vylany
Prone to all synne and inconuenyence
Stryuynge who sonest may come to all offence
Of lewde condicions and vnlefulnesse
Blyndnes of yll, and defylyd folysshenesse
All myserable men alas haue set theyr mynde
On lothsome maners clene destytute of grace
Theyr iyen dymmyd, theyr hertes are so blynde
That heuenly ioy none forceth to purchace
Both yonge and olde procedeth in one trace
With ryche and pore without all dyfference
As bonde men subdued to foly and offence
Some ar busshed theyr bonetes, set on syde.
Some waue theyr armys and hede to and fro
Some in no place can stedfastly abyde
More wylde and wanton than outher buk or do
Some ar so proude that on fote they can nat go
But get they must with countenaunce vnstable
Shewynge them folys, frayle and varyable
Some chyde that all men do them hate
Some gygyll and lawgh without grauyte
Some thynkes, hymselfe a gentylman or state
Though he a knaue caytyf and bonde churle be
These folys ar so blynde them self they can nat so
A yonge boy that is nat worth an onyon
With gentry or presthode is felowe and companyon.
Brybours and Baylyes that lyue upon towlynge
Are in the world moche set by nowe a dayes
Sergeauntis and Catchpollys that lyue upon powlynge
Courters and caytyfs begynners of frayes
Lyue styll encreasynge theyr vnhappy wayes
And a thousande mo of dyuers facultyes
Lyue auauntynge them of theyr enormytees.
Within the chirche and euery other place
These folys use theyr lewde condicions
Some starynge some cryeng some haue great solace
In rybawde wordes, some in deuysyons
Some them delyte in scornes and derysons
Some pryde ensueth and some glotony.
Without all norture gyuen to vylany
Theyr lyfe is folysshe lothsome and vnstable
Lyght brayned, theyr herte and mynde is inconstant
Theyr gate and loke proude and abhomynable
They haue nor order as folys ignorant
Chaungyng theyr myndes thryse in one instant
Alas this lewdnes and great enormyte
Wyll them nat suffer theyr wretchydnes to se
Thus ar these wretchyd caytyfes fully blynde
All men and wymen that good ar doth them hate
But he that with good maners endueth his mynde
Auoydeth this wrath hatered and debate
His dedes pleaseth both comonty and estate
And namely suche as ar good and laudable
Thynketh his dedes right and commendable
As wyse men sayth: both vertue and cunnynge
Honoure and worshyp grace and godlynes
Of worthy maners take theyr begynnynge
And fere also asswagyth wantones.
Subduynge the furour of youthes wylfulnes
But shamefastnes trouth constance and probyte
Both yonge and olde bryngeth to great dignyte.
These foresayde vertues with charite and peas.
Together assembled stedfast in mannys mynde.
Cawseth his honour and worthynes to encreas.
And his godly lyfe a godly ende shal fynde
But these lewde caytyfs which doth theyr myndes blynde
With corrupt maners lyuynge vnhappely.
In shame they lyue and wretchedly they dye.
* * * * *
Of brekynge and hurtynge of amyte and frendshyp.
[Illustration: He that iniustyce vseth and greuance
Agaynst all reason lawe and equyte
By vyolent force puttynge to vtteraunce
A symple man full of humylyte
Suche by his lewdnes and iniquyte.
Makyth a graue wherin hym selfe shall lye.
And lewdly he dyeth that lyueth crudlye.]
A Fole frowarde cruell and vntrewe
Is he whiche by his power wrongfully
His frendes and subiectes laboures to subdewe
Without all lawe, but clene by tyranny
Therfore thou Juge thy erys se thou aply
To right Justyce and set nat thyne intent
By wrath or malyce to be to vyolent.
It is nat lawfull to any excellent
Or myghty man, outher lawyer or estate
By cruelnes to oppresse an innocent
Ne by pryde and malyce Justyce to violate
The law transposynge after a frowarde rate
With proude wordes defendynge his offence
God wot oft suche haue symple conscience
O that he cursed is and reprouable
Whiche day and nyght stodyeth besely
To fynde some meanes false and detestable
To put his frende to losse or hurte therby
Our hertes ar fully set on vylany
There ar right fewe of hye or lowe degre
That luste to norysshe trewe loue and amyte
Alas exyled is godly charyte
Out of our Royalme we all ar so vnkynde
Our folys settyth gretter felycyte
On golde and goodes than on a faythfull frynde
Awake blynde folys and call vnto your mynde
That though honest ryches be moche commendable
Yet to a true frende it is nat comparable
Of all thynges loue is moste profytable
For the right order of lowe and amyte
Is of theyr maners to be agreable
And one of other haue mercy and pyte
Eche doynge for other after theyr degre
And without falshode this frendeshyp to mayntayne
And nat departe for pleasour nor for payne
But alas nowe all people haue dysdayne
On suche frendshyp for to set theyr delyte
Amyte we haue exyled out certayne
We lowe oppressyon to sclaunder and bacbyte
Extorcyon hath strength, pyte gone is quyte
Nowe in the worlde suche frendes ar there none
As were in Grece many yeres agone.
Who lyst thystory of Patroclus to rede
There shall he se playne wryten without fayle
Howe whan Achyllys gaue no force nor hede
Agaynst the Troyans to execute batayle
The sayd Patroclus dyd on the aparayle
Of Achylles, and went forth in his steade
Agaynst Hector: but lyghtly he was dede.
But than Achylles seynge this myschaunce.
Befallen his frende whiche was to hym so true.
He hym addressyd shortly to take vengeaunce.
And so in Batayle the noble Hector slewe
And his dede cors after his charot drewe.
Upon the grounde traylynge ruthfully behynde
Se howe he auengyd Patroclus his frende.
The hystory also of Orestes dothe expresse
Whiche whan agamenon his fader was slayne
By egystus whiche agaynst rightwysnes
The sayde Orestis moder dyd meyntayne
The childe was yonge wherfore it was but vayne
In youth to stryue, but whan he came to age
His naturall moder slewe he in a rage
And also Egystus whiche had his fader slayne
Thus toke he vengeaunce of both theyr cruelnes
But yet it grewe to his great care and payne
For sodaynly he fell in a madnesse
And euer thought that in his furiousnes
His moder hym sued flamynge full of fyre
And euer his deth was redy to conspyre
Orestes troubled with this fereful vysyon
As franatyke and mad wandred many a day
Ouer many a countrey londe and regyon
His frende Pylades folowynge hym alway
In payne nor wo he wolde hym nat denay
Tyll he restoryd agayne was to his mynde
Alas what frynde may we fynde nowe so kynde.
Of dymades what shall I lawde or wryte.
And Pythias his felawe amyable
Whiche in eche other suche loue had and delyte
That whan Denys a tyrant detestable
And of his men some to hym agreable
Wolde one of them haue mordred cruelly
Echone for other offred for to dye
Ualerius wrytyth a story longe and ample
Of Lelius and of worthy Cipio.
Whiche of trewe loue hath left vs great example
For they neuer left in doloure wele nor wo
I rede in thystory of Theseus also:
Howe he (as the Poetes fables doth tell)
Folowyd his felawe perothus in to hell.
And serchynge hym dyd wander and compas
Those lothsome flodys and wayes tenebrous
Ferynge no paynes of that dysordred place
Nor obscure mystes or ayres odyous
Tyll at the laste by his wayes cautelous
And Hercules valyaunt dedes of boldnesse
He gat Perothus out of that wretchydnesse.
Alas where ar suche frendes nowe a dayes
Suerly in the worlde none suche can be founde
All folowe theyr owne profyte and lewde wayes
None vnto other coueytys to be bounde
Brekers of frendshyp ynough ar on the grounde
Whiche set nought by frendshyp so they may haue good
All suche in my shyp shall haue a folys hode