¶The fyfte Eglog of Alexandre Barclay of the Cytezen and vplondyshman.
¶Here after foloweth the Prologe.
IN colde Ianuary / whan fyre is comfortable
And that the feldes / be nere intollerable
Whan shepe & pastoures / leueth felde & folde
And drawe to cotes / for to eschewe ye colde
What tyme the verdure / of groūde & euery tre
By fyrst and stormes / is pryuate of beaute
And euery small byrde / thynketh the wynter longe
Which well apereth / by ceasynge of theyr songe
At this same season / two herdes / fresshe of age
At tyme apoynted / met bothe in one cotage
The fyrste hyght Faustus / the seconde Amyntas
Harde was to knowe / whiche better husbande was
For eche of them bothe / set more by pleasour
Than by habundaunce / of ryches or tresour
Imyntas was tormalle / and propre in his gere
A man on his cloke / shoulde not aspyed a here
Nor of his clothynge / one wryncle stode a wrye
In london he lerned / to go so manerly
Hygh on his bonet / stacke a fayre broche of tynne
His pursys lynynge / was symple poore and thynne
But a lordes stomake / and a beggers pouche
Full yll accordeth / suche was this comely slouche
In the towne and cyte / so longe getted had he
That frome thens he fledde / for det and pouerte
No wafrer / tauerne / halehous / or tauerner
[...]o hym was there hydde / whyle he was hosteler
[...]te was he hosteler / and than a wafrer
Than a coster monger / and last a tauerner
Aboute all London / there was no propre prym
But longe tyme had ben / famylyer with hym
But whan coyne [...]ayled no fanour more hadde he
[...]erfore he roas gladde / out of the towne to fle
[Page] But shepeherde Faustus / was yet more fortunate
For alwaye was he / content with his estate
Yet nothynge he hadde / to conforte hym in age
Saue ā melche cowe / and a poore cotage
The towne he vsed / and grete pleasure hadde
To se the cyte / oftyme whyle he was ladde
For mylke and botter / he thyther brought to sell
But neuer thought he / in cyte for to dwell
For well he noted / the madde enormyte
Enuy / fraude / malyce / and suche inyquyte
Whiche reygne in cytes / therfore he ledde his lyfe
Vp londe in vyllage / without debate and stryfe
Whan these two herdes / were thus together met
Hauynge no charges / nor labour them to let
Thryr shepe were all sure / and closyd in a cote
Themselfe laye in lyttre / pleasauntly and hote
For costly was fyre / in hardest of the yere
Iohā men haue most nede / thā euery thȳge is dere
For passynge of tyme / and recreacyon
The bothe delyted / in cōmunycacyon
Famely they pledyd / of the dyuersyte
Ofrurall husbondes / and men of the cyte
Fa [...]tus accused / and blamed Cytezyns
To them imputynge / grete fautes cryme & synnes
Amyntas blamed / the rurall men agayne
And eche of thē bothe / his quareyl dyde maynteyne
All worthe dyspysed / all malyce and yll wyll
Clene layde a parte / eche dyde reherse his skyll
But fsyrste Amyntas / thus for to speke began
As he whiche counted / hymselfe the better man
¶Finis Prologe.
¶Interlocutoures be Amyntas and Faustus.
Amyntas
fyrste speketh.
THe wynter snowes / all couered is the grounde
The northe wynde blowys / all wt a fereful soūde
[Page] The longe yse sycles / at the hewsys honge
The streames frosen / the myght is colde and longe
Where botes rowed / now cartes haue passage
Frome yoke the oxen / be lowsed and bondage
The ploweman resteth / auoyde of all busynesse
Saue whan he tendeth / his harmes for to dresse
Mably his wyfe / sytteth byfore the fyre
All blacke and smoke / clothed in rude atyre
Sethynge some grewell / and sterynge the pulment
Of peese or frument / a noble meete for lent
The somer season / men counteth now laudable
Whose feruour before / they thought intollerable
The frosty wynter / and weder temperate
Which mē thā praysed / they now dyspryse & hate
Colde they desyred / but now it is present
The braule and grutche / theyr myndes not content
Thus mutable men / them pleased can not holde
At grete hete grutchȳg / & grutchȳg whā it is colde
¶Faustus.
All pleasure present / of men is counted small
Desyre obteyned / some counteth nought at all
What men hope after / that semeth grete and dere
At lyght by dystaunce / apereth great and clere.
¶Amyntas.
Eche tyme and season / hath his delyte and Ioyes
Loke in the stretes / beholde the lytell boyes
How in fruyte season / for Ioye they synge and hope
In lent echeone / full busy is with his tope
And now in wynter / for all the greuous colde
All rent and ragyd / a man maye them beholde
They haue great pleasure / supposynge well to dyne
Whan men ben busyed / in kyllynge of fat swyne
[Page] They get the bladder / and blowe it grete tand thyn
With many beanes / or peasen bounde within
It ratleth / soundeth / and shyneth clere and fayre
Whyle it is throwen / and cast vp in the ayre
Echeone contendeth / and hath a grete delyte
With fote or with hande / the bladder for to smyte
Yf it fall to gronnde / they lyfte it vp agayne
This wyse to labour / they count it for no payne
Rennynge and lepynge / they dryue a waye the colde
The sturdy plowmen / lusty stronge and bolde
Ouercometh the wynter / with dryuynge the fote ball
Forgetynge labour / and many a greuous fall
¶Faustus.
Men labour sorer / in fruyteles vanyte
Than in fayre warkes / of grete vtylyte
In suche thryftles / we labour for dāmage
Warke we dyspyse / whiche bryngeth auauntage
¶Amyntas.
Towchynge theyr labour / it can not me dysplease
Whyle we be in reste / and better here at ease
In the warme lyttre / smale payne hathe lytell hyre
Here maye we walowe / whyle mylke is on the fyre
Yf it be crudded / of brede we nede no crome
Yf thou byde Faustus / therof thou shalte haue some
¶Faustus.
Wynter declareth / harde nede and pouerte
Than men it feleth / whiche haue necessyte
Treuly Amyntas / I tell the myne entent
We fonde yonge people / be moche improuydent
We straye in somer / without thought / care / or hede
Of suche thynge as we / in wynter shall haue nede
As soone as we here / a bagpype or a drowne
[Page] Than leue we labour / there is our monaye gone
But whan the northe wynde / with stormes vyolent
Hath brought cold wȳter / pore wretches to turmēt
And voyde of leues / is euery bowe and tree
That one maye clerely / the emty nestes se
Than is all our woll / aud lambes gone and solde
We tremble naked / and dye almost for colde
Our sholders all bare / our hose and showes rent
By retcheles youthe / thus all is gone and spent
This cometh for wantynge / of good prouysyon
Youthe dayneth counsayle / scornynge dyscrecyon
Whan pouerte thus / hathe caught vs in his snare
Than dothe the wynter / our madde foly declare
Now treuly Amyntas / I tell the my mate
That towne dwellers lyue / gretely more fortunate
And somwhat wyser / be they also than we
They gather treasoure / and ryches in plente
They spoyle the lambes / and foxys of the skynne
To lappe theyr wombes / and fat sydes therin
In lust in pleasure / and in good habundaunce
Passe they theyr lyues / we haue not suffysaunce
¶Amyntas.
The men of the erthe / be fooles euerychone
We poore shepeherdes / be not to blame alone
More foly vexeth / the man of the Cyte
I graunte vs ouersene / they madder be than we
Thoughe I longe season / dyde in the cyte dwell
I fauour it not / trouthe bare I boldely tell
Thoughe Cytezyns he / of lyuynge reprouable
Yet fortune to them / is moche more fauorable
Fortune to them / is lyke a moder dere
As a stepmoder / she dothe to vs apere
[Page] Them she exalteth / to honour and rychesse
Vs she oppresseth / in care and wretchydnesse
What is bayne fortune / but thynge bytuperable
An vnhappy madnesse / vnworthy and vnstable
¶Faustus.
No doubte Amyntas / let me be fortunate
And than shall I soone / become a grete estate
My coyne shall encrease / than shortly shall I be
Called to offyce / to gouerne a cyte
All men shall here me / and gyue me credence
The comonte bareheed / shall do me reuerente
All other rules / lowe men and comonte
Shall gladly desyre / to haue aduyse of me
Yf I be happy / and fortune on me smyle
Thus shall I assende / and mount within a whyle
Aske thou of Cornyx / declare to the he can
How coyne more than cōnynge / exalteth many man
¶Amyntas.
O Faustus Faustus / thou erres frome the waye
This is not fortune / full lytell do she maye
Thoughe I myselfe / rehersed but lately
That fortune hathe myght / a man to magnyfy
I kepe the opynyon / of wytles comonte
And grounded myselfe / on none auctoryte
It is not fortune / that graunteth excellence
Trewe honour is wonne / by vertu and scyence
Yf men gette honour / by other polecy
It is no honour / but wretched mysery
God maketh myghty / god gyueth trewe honour
To godly persones / of godly behauyour
God fyrste dysposed / and made dyuersyte
Betwene rude plowmen / and men of the Cyte
[Page] And in what maner / Cornyx thyne owne mate
As we went talkynge / recounted to me late
¶Faustus.
What tolde the Cornyx / /tell me I the praye
He hadde good reason / suche thynges to conuaye
His wyt was pregnant / no reason dyde he want
But trouche to declare / his monaye was but scant
But what than / some man hath pleynte of cunnynge
Whiche hath of rychesse / smal pleynte or nothynge
¶Amyntas.
In herynge my tale / yf thou haue thy delyte
Than take some labour / for now is good respyte
Faustus aryse thou / out of thy lyttre hote
Go se and vysyte / our wethers in the cote
Aryse go and come / thou arte bothe yonge and able
After grate colde / hete is more comfortable
Go man for shame / he is a slouthfull dawe
Whiche leueth profyte / for pleasure of hote strawe
¶Faustus.
Thynke not Amyntas / that Fastus hathe dysdayne
To do thy pleasure / I shall refuse no payne
Loke here Amyntas / lorde benedycyte
The cold snowe recheth / moche hygher thā my kne
Scant maye the houses / suche burthen well susteyne
Lesse hurte is tempest / and sodayne storme of [...]
On toppe of the chymnaye / there is an hepe of [...]
So hye extendynge / our steple is more lowe
The snowe is so whyre / and the sonne so bryght
That playnly Amyntas / amasyd is my syght
¶Amyntas.
Gyue to the bestes / good rowen in pleynte
And stoppe all the holes / where thou can fautes se
[Page] Stop them wt stubbyll / este daube them wt some claye
And when yu hast done than come agayne thy waye
Nought is more noysom / to flocke / cotage / ne folde
Than sodayne tempest / and vnprouyded colde
What now all redy / frende Faustus here agayne
By shorte conclusyon / bad warke apereth playne
Thy comynge agayne / me thynke is all to soone
Ought to haue mended / or profyte to haue done.
¶Faustus.
This combrous wether / made me more dylygent
I ran all the waye / bothe as I came and went
And there I spedde me / and toke the greter payne
Because I lyghtly / wolde be with the agayne
After grete colde / it is full swete god wote
To tomble in the strawe / or in the lyttre hote
Now be we Fastus / in hey vp to the chynne
Fully thy promes / I praye the now begynne
Tell the begynnynge / of the dyuersyte
Betwene rurall men / and men of the cyte
I knowe the reason / and talkynge of Cornyx
But syth I hym sawe / be passed yeres syxe
His socunde Iestes / made me oftetyme full gladde
Our fyrst acquayntaūce / was whan I was a ladde
Now speke my Faustus / and I shall holde me styll
Tyll thou haue ended / and spoken all thy wyll
¶Amyntas.
This grete dyfference / and fyrste dyuersyte
Betweue rurall men / and them of the cyte
Began in this wyse / as cornyx me tolde
Whiche well coulde comon / of many maters olde
Fyrste whan the worlde / was fourmed and create
And Adam with Eue / were set in theyr estate
[Page] Our lorde conioyned them bothe / as man and wyfe
To lyue in concorde / the season of theyr lyfe
And them commaunded / mankynde to multyply
By generacyon / to get them progeny
They bothe obeyed / this swete commaundement
With faythfull hertes / and labour dylygent
But wolde to Ihesu / they hadde ben wyse and ware
From yt fatal fruyte / whiche kyndled all theyr care
But to my purpose / fyrste Eue hadde chyldren two
A sone and a doughter / our lorde dysposed so
And so yere by yere / two twynnes forthe she brought
Whan god assysteth / man worketh not for nought
By suche maner / these two dyde them apply
The worlde to fulfyll / encreace and multyply
At last our lorde / at ende of fyftene yere
To Eue our moder / dyde on a tyme appere
And in what maner / now here me Amyntas
Adam on the felde / forth with his wethers was
His flocke than he fedde / without all drede and fere
Than were no wowers / hym nor his wyfe to deare
He was not troubled / that tyme with Ielowsy
Than was no body / to do that vylany
No horned kyddes / were lyuynge at that tyme
Longe after this / began this cursed cryme
Than was no cocko / betwene the eest and west
To laye wronge egges / within a straunge nest
Than none suspected / the lyuynge of his wyfe
Weclocke was quyet / and pleasaunt without stryfe
But after whan people / began to multyply
Than fyrste was kyndled / the flame of Ielowsy
For that man commynteth / sore dredeth he agayne
Fraude fereth falshode / suspectynge oft in vayn [...]
[Page] A thefe suspecteth all men of felony
Brekers of wedlocke / be full of Iolousy
And therfore all suche / as with swerde do stryke
Fere to be serued / with the scaberde lyke
Thus whyle that Adam / was pytchynge of the folde
Eue was at home / and sate on the chressholde
With all her babys / and chyldren her about
Other on her lappe / within or elles without
Now hadde she plesure / them collynge and bassynge
And e [...]te was she busy / them lowsynge and kēmȳge
And busy with butter / for to anoynt theyr necke
Somtyme she musyd / them pleasauntly to decke
In the meane tyme / whyle she was occypyed
Our lorde drawynge nere / she sodeynly espyed
Anone she blusshed / reuoluynge in her mynde
That yf our lorde ther / should al those babys fynde
So sone engendred / supposynge he nedes must
That it was token / of to great carnall lust
And all asshamed / as fast as euer she myght
She hasted and hydde / some of them out of syght
Some vnder hey / some vnder strawe and chaffe
Some in the chymnaye / some in a tubbe of draffe
But suche as were fayre / and of theyr stature ryght
As wyse and subtyle / reserued she in syght
Anone came our lorde / vnto the woman nere
And her saluted / with swete and smylynge chere
And sayde woman / let me thy chyldren se
I come to promote / eche after his degre
Fyrste was the woman / amasyd nere for drede
At the last she commaunded / the eldest to procede
And gaue them comforte / to haue audacyte
Though they were bolder / & doubted lesse than she
[Page] God on them smyled / and them comforted so
As we with whelpes / and byrdes vse to do
And than at the laste / to the most olde of all
He sayde haue thou Ceptre / of rome imperyall
Thou arte the eldest / thou shalte haue moost honoure
Iustyce requyreth / that thou be emperoure
Than to the seconde / he sayde it is semynge
That thou be haunsed / to honour of a kynge
And vnto the thyrde / he gaue suche dygnyte
To guyde an army / and noble duke to be
And sayde haue thou here / harde yron and armoure
Be thou in batayle / a heed and a gouernoure
And so forthe to other / as they were in degre
Eche he promoteth / to worthy dygnyte
Some made he erles / some lordes some barons
Some squyers / knyghtes / some hardy chāpȳos
And thā brought he forthe / the Ceptre and the crowne
The swerde / y• pollax / the helme and ye haberiowne
The stremer / standarde / the getton / and the mace
The spere / & the shelde / now Eue hadde grete solace
He gaue them armoure / and taught them polecy
All thynge to gouerne / concernynge chyualry
Than made the Iuges / mayres and gouernoures
Marchauntes / shreues / and other protectoures
Aldermen / burgeyses / and other in degre
After the custome / of courte / and of Cyte
Thus all the chyldren / than beynge in presence
He set in houour / and rowme of excellence
Oftyme reuoluynge / and tournynge in his mynde
The caduke honoures / belongynge to mankynde
In the meane season / Eue very ioyfull was
That all these maters / were brought so well to pas
[Page] Than fleshe in hast / for to haue pleasour more
And them presented / whom she hadde hydde before
And vnrequyred / presentynge them sayde she
O lorde these also / my veray chyldren be
These be the fruyte / also of my wombe
Hyd for shamefastnesse / within my house at home
O lorde most myghty / hye fader cretour
With saue to graunt them / some offyce of honour
Theyr heer was ruggyd / poudred all with chaffe
Some full of strawes / some other full of draffe
Some with cobwebbes / and dust were so arayed
That one beholdynge on them / myght be afrayde
Blacke was theyr colour / and bad was theyr fygure
Uncomely to syght / mysshapen of stature
Our lorde not smyled on them / to shewe pleasaunce
But sayde to them thus / with trowbled coūtenaūce
Ye smell all smoky / of stubbyll and of chaffe
Ye smell ef the grounde / of wedes nnd of draffe
And after your sent / and tedyous sauoure
Shall be your rowmes / and all your behauour
None can a pytcher / tourne to a syluer pece
Nor make goodly sylke / of a gotes flece
And harde is also / to make withouten fayle
A bryght two hande swerde / of a cowes tayle
Nomore wyll I make / how be it that I can
Of a vyle vylayne / a noble gentylman
Ye shall be plowemen / and tyllers of the grounde
To payne and labour / shall ye alwaye be bounde
Some shall kepe oxen / and some shall hogges kepe
Som shall be thresshers / som other shall kepe shepe
To dyg and to delue / to hedge and to dyke
Take this for your lot / and other labour lyke
[Page] To drudge and to dreuyll / in warkes vyle and rude
This wyse shall ye lyue / in endeles seruytude
Wyppynge / and mowynge / of fother gras & corne
Yet shall towne dwellers / ofte laughe you vnto scorn̄
Yet some shall we graunt / to dwell in the cyte
For to make podynges / or butchers for to be
Coblers / or tynkers / or elles costard Iaggers
Hostelers / or daubers / or drowpy water laggers
And suche other sorte / whose dayly busynesse
Passeth in warkes / and labour ef vylenes
To stowpe / and to swete / and subiecte to become
And neuer to be rydde / from bondage & thraldome
Than brought our lorde / to them the carte & harowe
The gad / & the whyp / ye matoke & the whelebarow
The spade / the shouell / the forke and the ploughe
And all suche towles / than bad he them be toughe
And neuer to grutche / at labonr nor at payne
For yf they so dyde / it shoulde be thynge in vayne
Thus sayde the father / and lorde omnypotent
And than he ascended / vp to the tyrmament
Thus began honour / and thus began bondage
And dyuersyte / ofcyte and vyllage
And seruyle labour / fyrste in this wyse began
Demaunde of Cornyx / declare the trouthe he can
This tolde me Cornyx / whiche dwelled in the fen
I truste his sayenge / before a thousande men
¶Faustus.
Is this the mater / praysed of the so sore
A strawe for fables / I set by them no store
It were a meruayle / yf Cornyx mater tolde
To laude of shepeherdes / or plowmen to vpholde
He dwelt in the towne / and helde with the cyte
[Page] Tyll nede hym mouyd / as it hathe dryuen the
Whan none of you bothe / dare to the towne resorte
Amonge vs shepeherdes / yet fynde ye here conforte
So bothe thou and he / be gretely for to blame
To ete our vytayle / and than to hurte our name
The yonge men of townes / to mocke vs haue a guyse
Nought elles can they do / saue lyes to deuyse
This vayne inuencyon / and folysshe fayned fable
Agayne rurall men / they haue delyte to bable
And nought they asshame / as blȳde wretches vnwyse
Of god almyghty / suche leasynges to deuyse
This scorfy scoftynge / declareth openly
Agaynste rurall men / rebuke and iniury
But thou arte so rude / thy paunche is so fatte
Agayne thyne owneselfe / thou busy arte to chatte
A lyfe this same Iest / is thy rebuke and blame
Thy dullyd reason / can not perceyue the same
But I wall proue the / that rurall people be
More wyse and noble / than they of the cyte
And that the cyte / is full of fraude and stryfe
Whan we in vyllage / haue good and quyet lyfe
¶Amyntas.
I praye the Fastus / herefore be thou not worthe
To haue dyspleasoure of the / I were ryght lothe
I thought no mawgre / I tolde it for a bourde
Yf I hadde knowen / I shoulde haue sayd no worde
But saye thy pleasure / now tell forthe thy sentence
And I shall here the / with sobre pacyence
¶Faustus.
I shall not denye / our payne and seruytude
I knowe that plowmen / for the moost parte be rude
Now shall I tell the / hygh maters trewe & olde
[Page] Whiche curteys Candydus / vnto me ones tolde
Nought shall I forge / nor of no leasynge bable
This is trewe hystory / and no surmysed fable
At the benynnynge / of thynges fyrste of all
God made shepeherdes / and other men rurall
But the fyrste plowman / and tyller of the grounde
Was rude and stordy / dysdaynynge to be bounde
Rughe and stoborne / and Cayn dyde men hym call
He hadde no mercy / and pyte none at all
But lyke as the grounde / is dull / stony / and toughe
Stubberne and heuy / rebellynge to the ploughe
So the fyrste ploughman / was stronge and obstynate
Frowarde selfe wyllynge / and mouer of debate
But the fyrste shepeherde / was meke & nothynge fell
Humble as is a lambe / and called was Abell
A shepe gyueth mylke / and lytell hathe of gall
So this good Abell / hadde none yll wyll at all
No shepeherde founde hym / iniuryous nor wronge
In durynge his lyfe / whyle he was them amonge
And oft of his flocke / made he good sacryfyce
Of calfe or lambes / suche as were most of pryce
And of fat wethers / the best not spared he
To honour our lorde / and pease his deyte
Thus hadde he fauour / with god omnypotent
So pleasynge our lorde / that to this tyme present
From fyrst begynnynge / of erth [...] and man mortall
God hathe hadde fauoure / to people pastorall
And poore shepeherdes / theyr cotes / felde and shepe
Aungelles haue come / for to defende and kepe
Some shepeherdes were / in londe of asserye
Thiche after haue ben / promoted very hye
So that from cotes / and houses pastorall
[Page] They haue ascended / to dygnyte royall
Chargys and labour / so dothe my reason blynde
That call theyr names / can I not vnto mynde
Yet let me stody / auoydynge perturbaunce
So mane I call them / vnto my remembraunce
[...]o now I haue them / Abraham / and I [...]cob
Lot / Isaac / yonger / Ioseph / and Iob
These now rehersed / and all the patryarches
Haue not dysdayned / pore shepe nor herdes warkes
Them hathe our lorde / called from humble thynges
And made them prynces / dukes / other kynges
So haue they chaunged / theyr clothynge pastorall
With golden garment / purpure / and gaye pall
And than haue after by magnanymyte
Brought noble reyalmes / in theyr captyuyte
And haue in batayle / ben myghty conquerours
Won fame immortall / and excellent honours
Parys was pastour / the sone of Pryamus
Pan / Sylene / Orphens / and Ioly Tyterus
Sawll was shepherde / so was he in lykewyse
Whiche wolde haue offred / his sone in sacryfyse
Moyses was shepherde / and was his flocke kepynge
Whan he came barefote / vnto the busshe flamynge
Cōmannded by god / to leue his flocke and go
On goddes message / to sturdy Pharao
Also Apollo was harde / somtyme in Grece
Nothynge dysdaynynge / to handle ewe and flece
As wryteth poetes / he lefte dyuyne honour
Gladde amonge wethers / to be a gouernour
The blessyd aungelles / brought to suche men as we
Message of concorde / of peas / aud vnyte
And songe that gloria / styenge in the skye
[Page] Whiche our syr Sapson / doth synge so merely
Fyrst hadde shepeherdes / sure tydynge by message
That god was made man / to bye hamayne lynage
And herdes instructe / by voyce angelycall
Sawe god incarnate / and brone fyrste of all
And this was pleasour / of goddes maieste
That symple herdes / hym fyrste of all soulde se
And in theyr maner / make vnto hym offrynges
Before estates / as ryche and myghty kynges
The ioly harper / whiche after was a kynge
And slewe the gyaunt / so stoutly with his slynge
Was fyrste a shepeherde / or he hadde dygnyte
Ryght so were many / as stoute and bolde as he
And our lorde Ihesu / our god and sauyour
Named hymselfe / a shepeherde or a pastour
Ryght so he named / men meke and pacyent
His flocke and his shepe / for maners innocent
Thynke not these wordes / glosyd nor in vayne
They are the gospell / so sayth syr Peter playne
I sawe them myselfe / well paynted on the wall
Late gasynge vpon / our chyrche cathedrall
I sawe grete wethers / in pycture and small lambes
Dauncynge / some slepynge / some sowkȳge of theyr dāmes
And some on ye groūde / me semed lyenge styll
Than sawe I horsemen / at pendant of an hyll
And the thre kynges / with all theyr company
Theyr crownes glywerynge / bryght and oryently
With theyr presentes / and gyftes mystycall
All this behelde I / in pycture on the wall
But the poore pastoures / as people innocent
Fyrst sawe the Cryb / of our lorde omnypotent
Thus it apereth / god loueth poore pastours
[Page] Seth he them graunted / to haue to grete honours
Our lorde hathe fauour / bothe in the shepe and folde
As it apereth / by the hostoryes olde
Our lorde is redy / to socour the vyllage
Despysenge townes / for malyce and outrage
For god is content / with symple pouerte
Pryde he despyseth / and wrongfull dygnyte
¶Amyntas.
In good fayth Fastus thy tale is verytable
Grounded on lernynge / and gretly commendable
Lately myselfe / to se that pycture was
I sawe the manger / I sawe the oxe and asse
I well remembred / the people in my mynde
Me thynke yet I se / the blacke facys of ynde
Me thynke yet I se / the herdes and the kynges
And in what maner / were ordred theyr offrynges
As longe as I lyue / the better shall I loue
The name of herbes / and cytezyns reproue
Wherfore mate Fastus / I praye god gyue the care
Yf thou the fautes / of ony cyte spare
Speke on / and spare not / and touche theyr errour
Yet maye me comon / more than a large houre.
¶Faustus.
Than tourne we to talke / a whyle of Cysezyns
To touche theyr foly / and parcell of theyr synnes
Thynke not Amyntas / that they of the cyte
Lyue better lyfe / or wyselyer than we
All yf theyr clothynge / be doubled for the colde
And thoughe they glyster / so gayly in bryght golde
Shynynge in sylkes / in purpure / or veluet
In furryd robys / or clokes of scarlet
And we poore herdes / in russet cloke and hode
[Page] It is not clothynge / can make a man be good
Better in in ragges / pure lyuynge innocent
Than a soule defyled / in sumptuous garment
Trust me Amyntas / my selfe with these same eyen
Haue in the cyte / suche oftentymes seen
Iet in theyr sylkes / and bragge in the market
As they were lordes / I oft haue seen them Iet
Whiche are starke beggers / and lyue in nede at home
And oft go to bedde / for nede with empty wombe
Nought is more folysshe / than suche wretches be
Thus with proude porte / to cloke theyr pouerte
What is nede clohed / or fayned habundaunce
Pouerte / slouthe / and wretched gouernaunce
What is fayre semblaūce / with thought and heuynes
Forsoth nought elles / but cloked folysshnes
And some haue I seen / whiche is a thynge damnable
That whyle they wolde haue / a lyuȳge delectable
Best at theyr pleasure / and fare delycyously
Haue suffered theyr wyues / defyled wyttyngly
Haue solde theyr doughters / floure of vyrgynyte
O deed vnworthy / O blynde inyquyte
Fame honour the soule / and chastyte be solde
For wretchyd lyuynge / o cursed thurst of golde
O damnable dede / so many for to spyll
One wretchyd carkes / and bely for to fyll
What thynge is vyler / what more abhomynable
What thynge more folysshe / more fals & detestable.
¶Amyntas.
What yf they can not / to other crafte them gyue
Nor fynde ather waye / or meanes for to lyue
Nede hath no lawe / of two ylles parde
To chose the leest yll / is none iniquyte
¶Faustus.
[Page]Seth they haue as many / soules as haue we
As moche of reasone / and handes lyke plente
Why maye they not / to honest warke thē gyue
And fynde other waye / and maner for to lyue
No lawe permytteth / nor wylleth man parde
To commyt mordre / for harde neressyte
Nomore shoulde ony / his soule defyle nor kyll
For lust transytory / or pleasure to fulfyll
Yet be in cytees / mo suenge folysshnes
Wenynge by crafte / for to haue grete ryches
By whiche craftes / no man hathe ryches founde
Syth tyme yt our lorde / fyrst fourmed mā & groūde
As Alkemystys / wenynge by polecy
Nature to alter / and coyne to multyply
Some wasshe rude metall / with lycours many folde
Of herbes wenynge / to tourne in to golde
All pale and smoky / by suche contynuall
And after labour / they lose theyr lyfe and all
An other sort is / to this not moche vnlyke
Whiche spēde theyr tymes / ī wretehyd art magyke
Therby supposynge / some treasour to haue founde
Whiche many yeres / is hydde within the grounde
What is more folysshe / more full of vanyte
Or more repugnynge / to faythe and probyte
Because they woldeste / good busynesse and payne
They vse suche tryfles / & wretched thynges vayne
They proue all thynges / because the wolde do nought
Styll sekȳge newes / styll troubled ī theyr thought
Because they woldeste / the labour of the lande
All ydle tryfles / such taketh on theyr hande
Styll be they busy / and neuer come to ende
[Page] To thynge profytable / do fewe of them intende
Some lyue by rapyne / gyle / fraude and polecy
Pariury / oppressyon / and some in vsury
Some gladly borowe / and neuer paye agayne
Some kepe from seruaūtes / ye stipēd of theyr payne
Some rest men gyltles / and caste them in pryson
Some by stronge theues / out of the dongyon
Some fawn some flater / mā trust not whā they smyle
Than frame the fraudes / men slyly to begyle
Some in one houre / more promes to the wyll
Than all his dayes / he thynketh to fulfyll
By thousande meanes / of fraude and craftynesse
Ly they in wayte / for honour and rychesse
They fede the ryche / and often let the pore
Dye for pure colde / aud hungre at theyr dore
We fede fat oxen / they Marmosettes kepe
We fede fat Kyddes / Lambes / and good shepe
And they fede hawes / apes / also houndes
And small is theyr Ioye / saue here wtin our boūdes
We brynge them butter / egges / chese / and woll
Tancardes of mylde / and creame fletynge full
All maner flesshe / and all theyr hole lyuynge
Without our labour / treuly they haue nothynge
We are the feders / of wethers and fat hogges
And they of the cyte / fede byrdes / and grete dogges
Now Iuge Amyntas / whiche of these semeth the
Of most auauntage / and most nobylyte
¶Amyntas.
Yf by your labour / procedeth more rychesse
And most auaūtage / as semeth trouthe doubteles
Than this I meruayle / that they of the cyte
Haue so grete pleynte / and we necessyte
[Page] The cause can not I / call to my remembraunce
Wherof procedeth / theyr store [...] abundaunce
¶Faustus.
The cause I tolde the / what woldest thou haue more
By fraude / and falshode / haue they so mykyll store
Seest thou not playnly / how they of the cyte
Dayly dysceyueth / our poore symplycyte
With that cruelte / agaynste vs they rage
By fals oppressyon / or fayre fayned langage
They thynke it pleasoure / that sorowe on them hap
By glosed wordes / to take vs in trappe
The most of them all / count it an almes dede
Vs herdes to fraude / this is a gentyll mede
For them we labour / in hete / wynde / colde and rayne
And fraude & dysceyte / the paye vs for our payne
With myndes and tongue / they stody and they muse
Bothe daye and nyght / vs herdes to abuse
Theyr wyt and body / all hole do they ply
For vs poore wretches / to stody polecy
And after theyr fraude / gyle and decepcyon
Than do they laughe vs / vnto derysyon
¶Amyntas.
Now came thou to knowlege / of this enormyte
And of these maners / of them of the cyte
My selfe there [...]onned / and there was couuersaunt
Of some of these thynges / yet am I ygnoraunt
¶Faustus.
Thou coude not perceyue well / theyr enormyte
Parchaūce thy maners / dyde with theyr lyfe agre
There seldome is sene / grete contradyccyon
Where men accordeth in dysposycyon
No faute with moryans / is blacke dysformyte
[Page] Because all the sorte / lyke of theyr fauour be
So couthe thou not se / theyr vyces nor them blame
Because thy owne lyfe / was fyled with the same
But how I knowe them / now shall I tell to the
Whyle I brought butter / to sell to the Cyte
And other vytayle / I vsed mylke to cry
Than hadde I knowlege / with an apotecary
Of hym I lerned / moche fashode and practyse
Not to the purpose / the same to excercyse
He couthe make playsters / & newe cōmyxcyons
In valour scant worthe / a couple of onyens
Yet solde he the same / as it were golde so dere
Namely / yf happened / ony infectyfe yere
I was aquaynted / with many an hucster
With a costardemonger / and with an hostler
This thefe was crafty / poore people to begyle
None lyke I suppose / within a dosen myle
Amonge all other / his fraudes and his crymes
He solde one botell / of hey a dosen tymes
And in the otes / couthe he well droppe a candell
Well knewe he how / his gestes for to handle
And in the same In / there dwelt a prety pryme
She couthe well flater / and glose with hym & hym
And necke a mesure / her smyrkynge gan her sale
She made ten shylynge / of one barell of ale
Whome she begyled / in pottes she was fayne
To wyn them wt flesshe / and paynted loke agayne
And as I remembre / her name was wanton besse
Who leest with her delt / he thryued not the lesse
What nede more processe / no crafte of the cyte
Is but is myngled / with fraunde and subtylte
Saue onely the crafte / of an apotycary
[Page] That is all fraude / and gylefull polecy
But all these wolde swere / that they were innocent
Or they to the cyte / dyde fyrste of all frequent
There lerned they / thefte and fraude to exercyse
And man of nature / is moued soone to vyce
Some [...] also / whiche spende theyr patrymony
Whiche was to them lette / by theyr olde auncestry
On queanes / bawdes / in ryot and dronkenesse
Theyr name defylynge / despysynge all goodnesse
With cost and paynes / suche busuly labour
Sekynge for shame / and dethe before theyr houre
Sa [...] where is custome / of fornycacyon
Incest auoutry / and defloracyon
Forsynge of women / murdre and rapyne
Dyscorde & braulynge / nnd lyuynge lyke to swyne
Malyce / enuy / and all iniquyte
Do these not rayne / in myddes of the cyte
All newe abusyon / prouokynge men to synnes
Hadde fyrst begynnynge / amonge the cytezyns
Where dwell grete prynces / aud myghty gouernours
Theyr lyfe dyspysynge / for to haue vayne honours
Capytaynes / souldyours / and all lyke company
Whiche put for money / theyr lyfe in ieopardy
These dwell not vpon londe / but haunteth the cyte
Pore herdes fyght not / but for necessyte
For lyberte / lyfe / and iustyce to vpholde
Towne dwellers fyght / for vayne honour / & golde
We fyght / our frendes / and housholde to defende
They fyght for malyce / to ryches to ascende
Our cause and quarell / is to meynteyne the ryght
But all on selfe wyll / without reason they fyght
They seke by woundes / for honour and rychesse
[Page] And dryue the wekest / to hardest busynes
O blynde sowdyour / why settest thou thy hert
For a vayne stypende / agayne a mortall darte
By thousande peryllys / thou takest thy passage
For a small Lucre / rennynge to grete dammage
Theyr swete lyfe they gyue / for a poore stypende
And ofte lese they bothe / and heuen at the ende
Whyle some contendeth / and fyghteth for his wage
His lyfe he spendeth / than fare well auauntage
What is more folysshe / or lyker to madnesse
Than to spende the lyfe / for glory and rychesse
What thynge is glory / laude praysynge or fa [...]
What honour report / or what is noble name
Forsothe nought but voyce of wytles comonte
And vayne opynyon / subiecte to to vanyte
Proceste of yeres / reuoluynge of season
Bryngeth all these / soone in oblyuyon
Whan lyfe is faded / all these ben out of syght
Lyke as with the sonne departeth the daye lyght
They all be fooles / whiche medleth with the see
And otherwyse myght lyue / in theyr owne countr [...]
He is but a foole / whiche runneth to tempest
And myght lyue on londe / in suerte and in rest
He is but a foole / whiche hathe of good plenty
And it dysdayneth / to vse and occupy
And he whiche lyueth / in care and wretchydnes
His heyre to promote / to londes and rychesse
Is most foole of all / to spare in mysery
With good and londes / his heyre to magnyfy
And he which leueth / that thynge for to be done
Unto his doughter / executour or sone
Whiche he hymselfe / myght in his lyfe fulfyll
[Page] He is but a foole / ond hath but lytell skyll
But all these sortes / within the cyte be
They want of wysdome / and sue enormyte
And also the youthe / in dayes festyuall
Do nought but folowe / theyr lustes bestyall
The weke they vse them / in worldly busynesse
The sondaye serueth / to folowe vycyousnes
What tyme the shoppes / be closed all and shyt
Than is the market / with Thays / Beale / & Kyt
On hyest dayes / suche ware in namely solde
For nought it waxeth / yf it be ones olde
Npo [...]he sondaye / whan men shoulde god honour
L [...] is good laboure / ensued is errour
Oftyme the olde frere / that wonned in grenewyche
Agayne suche folyes / was boldly wont to preche
He sayde where baudes / and theyr abusyone
Were wonte to abyde / in one vyle place alone
Now are they sprencled / and sparcled abrode
Lyke wyse as shyppes / be docked in a rode
That harde is to knowe / good women frome the yll
By yll example / good are in doubte to spyll
Bawdes be suffred / so where they lyste to byde
That the strete fadeth / vpon the water syde
Cate / Iyll mably / Phylys / and feat Ieny
Because of the cyte / now can not get one peny
Vyle Thays was wont / in angles for to be
Now hathe she power / in all the hole cyte
¶Amyntas.
Thou pasest mesure / Faustus by god a vowe
Thou sayst of malyce / ryght well perceyue I nowe
Mytygate thy mynde / and tongue for it is shame
Men of the cyte / thus largely to blame
[Page] What man is fautles / remembre the vylage
How men vplondysshe / on holy dayes rage
Nought can them tame / they be a beastly sort
In swete and labour / hauynge most chefe comforte
On the holy daye / as soone as morne is past
Whan all men resteth / whyle all the daye dothe last
They drynke / they banket / they reuell and they Iet
They lepe / they daunce / despysynge ease and rest
Yf they ones here / a bagpype or a drone
Anone to the elme / or oke be they gone
There vse they to daūce / to gambaud / and cor [...]ge
Suche is the custome / and vse of the vyllag [...]
Whan the groūde resteth / from rake plough & wheles
Thā must they it trouble / wt burthen of theyr heles
To Baccus they banket / no feest is festyuall
They chyde and the chat / they vary and they brall
They rayle and they route / they reuell and they cry
Laughynge / and lepynge / & makynge cuppes drye
¶Faustus.
What stynt thou thy chat / these wordes I defy
It is to a vylayne / rebuke and vylanye
Suche rurall solace / so playnly for to blame
Thy wordes soundeth / to thy rebuke and shame
¶Amyntas.
Not so frende Faustus / I spoke it but in game
Agayne to the cyte / retourne in gooddes name
¶Faustus.
Yet of the cyte / mo foles tell can I
Whiche wene to nombre / the sterres of the skye
By them supposynge / eche desteny to tell
But all be fooles / that with this mater mell
Yet be they madder / whiche fyxeth theyr entent
[Page] To serche the nature / of god omnypotent
And dare be so bolde / to set theyr mortall syght
On incomprehensyble / and pure immortall lyght
Our fayth is better / for they of the cyte
Beleue by reason / with grete dyffyculte
Or they wyll byleue / they brawle with argument
Playne speche suffyseth / vs people innocent
Agayne syr Sampson / theyr quarell they defende
We aske no questyon / and vse not to contende
We lyght the alters / and many candels offre
Whan they of the towne / skantly make a proffer
Th [...] [...]ayth is feble / our fayth is sure and stable
They dare be bolde / with doctours for to bable
A worldly marchaunt / nought knowynge of doctryne
Because of his coyne / counteth his reason fyne
Trust me Antyntas / no force who hereth me
The coyne and connynge / doth not alwaye agre
For some be that haue / grete pleynte of that one
Whiche of that other / haue lytell parte or none
What shoulde the foles / that dwell in the cyte
Or we seke to knowe / of goddes pryuyte
Yf it were nedefull / the godhed for to knowe
To symple wretches / here on the grounde alowe
It is in power / of god omnypotent
His very presence / to vs to represent
But seth his knowlege / is comprehensyble
Why seketh fooles / for thynges impossyble
And seth god wyll be / vnknowen vnto vs
Why sholde thyne mortall / of endeles thyng dyscus
And ruyall people / in almys doth excell
Aboue all the sorte / whiche in the cyte dwell
We gyue woll and chese / our wyues coyne and egges
[Page] Whan freres flater / and pryse theyr propre legges
For a score of pynnes / and nedles two or thre
A gentell cluner / two cheses hadde of me
Phylys gaue coyne / because he dyd her charme
Euer syth that tyme / lesse hathe she felte of harme
Yet is in the cyte / a nombre incurable
Pleders / and brokers / a foule and shamefast rable
Marchauntes of Iustyce / hunters of ryches
Cratchers of coyne / delayers of processe
Prolongynge causes / and makynge wronge of ryght
And ryght of plame wrōge / opp̄uyng law wt myght
Iaylers of Iustyce / theyr cursed couetyse
Watreth the plantes / of cruelte and vyce
¶Amyntas.
This haue I proued / by playne experyence
But tell me Fastus / what causeth this offence
¶Faustus.
The rote and the grounde / of this mysgouernaunce
Is fauour rewarde / and wylfull ygnoraunce
Whan coyn or fauour / ones dymmeth hath the syght
Adieu all Iustyce / in pryson layd is ryght
Yet be in townes / a rable fraudelent
Murdrers of people / and fre of ponysshement
Vauntynge and bostynge / themselfe of medycyne
And nought perceynynge / of scyence and doctryne
Yf they be fetred / with rynges and with cheynes
Than may they handle / and touche pryuy vaynes
Name all dyseases / and sores at theyr wyll
Auoyde of connynge / of reason other skyll
Suche ryde on mules / and pages by theyr syde
But yf they hadde ryght / on asses shoulde they ryde
As touchynge rulers / of all the comonte
[Page] The more that they haue of hye auctoryte
Of lyberte wyll / and synguler pleasure
So moche the more / poore people they deuoure
The houndes somtyme / wont foldes for to kepe
Be now wylde wolues / deuourynge all the shepe
Rulers be robbers / and pyllers be pastours
Gone is the guydynge / of godly gouernours
O where be rulers / meynteyners of Iustyce
Where be subduers / and slakers of all vyce
Where he the frendes / of mercy and pyte
Somtyme well rulynge / not spoylynge of the cyte
Whe [...] [...]e chast rulers / iust meke and lyberall
Chaunged is fortune / dethe hathe deuoured all
The worste remayneth / gone ben the meke and Iust
In stede of vertue / ruleth frewyll / and lust
where be the fathers / ryght worthy an empyre
Of whome men counted / gaye talys by the fyre
Somtyme with talys / and otherwhyle with songe
So dryuynge a waye / the wynter nyghtes longe
Alas Amyntas / nought bydeth that is good
No not my cokers / my tabert / nor my hood
All is consumed / all spent and worne be
So is all goodnesse / and welthe of the cyte
The temples pylled / dothe bytterly complayne
Poore people wayleth / and cal for helpe in vayne
Poore wydous sorowe / and chyldren fatherles
In vayne bewayleth / whan wolues them oppresse
Syn hath no scourge / and vertu no rewarde
Who loueth wysdome / his fortune is but harde
Counceyll and cunnynge / now tombles in the dust
But what is the cause / lawe tourned is to lust
Lust standeth in stede of lawe / and of Iustyce
[Page] Wherby good lyuynge / subdued is by vyce
¶Amyntas.
I tell the Faustus / this hastynes of the
Passeth the bondes / of ryght and honeste
All men thou blamest / by wrothe and hastynesse
As all cytezyns / were full of vycyousnesse
What man remembre / some lyue in innocence
Some in the Cyte / be partles of offence
¶Faustus.
I am not angry / I saye but veryte
Here me Amyntas / one clause with breuyte
As many todes / as bredeth in Irelonde
As many Grypes / as bredeth in Englonde
As many Cockowes / as synge in Ianuary
And nyghtyngales / as synge in February
And as many whalys / as swymmeth in the fen
So many ben there / in cytes of good men
¶Amyntas.
A good man is geason / not easy to be founde
On londe or in cyte / or ouer all the grounde
Many thynges longe / vnto a parfyte man
Aske that of Codrus / declare the trouthe he gan
Badnes encreaseth / and ouer fast dothe growe
Goodnes and vertu / in comynge vp ben slowe
¶Faustus.
Thou art madde I trowe / so many foes haue we
As dwell cytezyns / in all the hole cyte
They clyp vs / they poll vs / they py [...] vs to the skyn
And what they may get / yt thynke they well to wyn
To theft they constrayne vs / I tell the by all Halows
And after by and by / they sende vs to the Galows
Therfore it is reason / yf ought of theyrs hap
[Page] Or come to our clawes / it pryuely to trap
They vs oft dysceyue / dysceyue we them agayne
Deuyse we slyly / gyle subtyll and trayne
But this Amyntas / to me is gretest grefe
And doubt for it is yll / stelynge from a thefe
Yf it be secret / we maye it well deny
Yf it be knowen / excuse it craftely
Preue felony / thoughe it be vsed longe
Is not called theft / but iniury and wronge
All that they haue / within these townes playne
[...] harde labour / sore trauayle & grete payne
¶Amyntas.
Now thou exeedest / the marke of equyte
Thou passest reason / Faustus I tell to the
¶Faustus.
What than Amyntas / haue pacyence a whyle
Towne dwellers vyces / dothe all the worle defyle
The ayre is corrupt / by theyr enormyte
These somer stormes / whēce come they tell thou me
Lyghtnynge / grete wyndes / flodes / hayle / & thundre
I well remembre / ofttyme the grounde here vnder
Ryght sore hathe quaked / and caused houses fall
Vyce of the cyte / is rote and cause of all
The sonne in myddaye / oftyme hathe lost his lyght
In lykewyse the mone / in season of the nyght
Bothe hathe ben blacke / or elles reed as blode
This sygne Amyntas pretendeth vs no good
Why growe the wedes / and cokyll in the corne
Why is haye and grasse / oftymes all forlorne
Why lose we our sede / our labour und expence
Where cometh moryen / and greuous pestylence
All these procedeth / by madde enormyte
[Page] And corrupte maners / of them of the cyte
And wors is lykely / yet after warde to fall
Yf they not refourme / theyr lyuynge bestyall
Whence came the furour / of harnes and batayle
Which causeth wydowes / theyr spouses to bewayle
Whiche bryngeth with it / all kynde of mysery
As theft / and murdre / grete deth / and penury
Forsoth in cytees / this furour fyrste began
To the confusyon / of many a doughty man
The cyte is well / and grounde orygynall
Bothe fyrst and last / of dedelyylles all
Bredde in the cyte / was cruell Lycaon
Bredde amonge herbes / was good Dewra [...]y [...]
Amonge shepeherdes / norysshed was Rennus
And also his brother / the myghty Romulus
The cause of the flode / in Cyte fyrste began
Wherby was wasted / nere euery best and man
Our lorde dsteroyed .v. Cytes for outrage
Rede where for synnes / he wasted one vyllage
I trowe whan the worlde / with fyre shall wasted be
The cause shall procede / and come of some cyte
What shall I touche the sauour and the stynke
Whiche is in cytes / of gutter and of synke
There men be choked / with vyle and deedly [...]nt
Here haue we odour / of floures redolent
I count me happy / whiche won in the vyllage
As vndefyled / with Cytezyns outrage.
¶Amyntas.
Haue done now Faustus / laye there a strawe and
Fyll we our bely / with cruddes that is best
Leue we the cyte / and all Cyuyle outrage
Now it is season / to torne to the potage
[Page] After our dyner / is best as in my mynde
The rest to declare / yf ought remayne behynde.
¶Finis.
¶Here endeth the .v. Eglog of Alexandre Barclay of the Cytezyn / and vplondysshman / Inprynted at London in flete strete / at the sygne of sonne / by Wynkyn de worde.