Here begynneth a treatyse of a galaūt
Ryght as small flodes encrease to waters fell
So that narowe furrous may not sustayne
Ryght so pryde vnclosed may not counsell
This new wretchednes yt causeth vs cōplayn
How wo hath wrapped vs in a cruell chayne
Our pryde sheweth it well bothe ferre and nere
Englonde may wayle that euer it came here
The synne that now reygneth to beholde is ruthe
Of fraude and dysceyte grete abhomynacyon
But nede constrayneth vs now to saye the truthe
Of pryde and dysceyte this newe dyscymulacyon
That blyndeth and consumeth our englysshe nacyon
Lucyfers progenye amonge vs dooth appere
Englonde may wayle that euer it came here
Ryght late stode our londe in suche prosperyte
Of chyualry / manhode / and ryche marchaundyse
Thrughe all crysten realmes sprange our felycyte
Of grete welth and pro wesse in sondry wyse
Our sadnes is chaunged for the newe guyse
we haue exyled our welth I note where
Englonde may wayle that euer it came here
Pryde hath founde waye to exclude man fro blys
In dysfygurynge nature by this newe araye
Bothe men and women can saye what it is
For bothe nede and pouerte gooth now ryght gaye
But alas our sorowe encreaseth euery daye
And yf ye lyue longe ye shall bothe se and here
That Englonde shall wayle that euer it came here
For pryde hathe our plente torned to euyll fare
And fedeth vs as beestes that draweth in the ploughe
Many a worthy man bryngeth he to sorowe and care
where fortune somtyme fresshely on hym loughe
Examyne the lyuynge that this worlde vseth ynoughe
How nede with synne groweth euery where
Englonde may wayle that euer it came here
For many a veugeaunce as scrypture maketh mencyon
Path fallen to kyngomes in sondry wyse
And fynally put the people in dystruccyon
For theyr obstynacy / a newe fangle guyse
Alas Englonde that somtyme was so wyse
Other nacyons refuse / hast bought so dere
That thou may wayle that euer it came here
Somtyme we had Fraunce in grete derysyon
For theyr hatefull pryde and lothesome vnclennes
Vse we not nowe / the same in our regyon
And haue permuted our welthe for theyr gladnes
Lechery of our people is become a maystres
Our gentylnes / for galantyse haue we lefte there
Englonde may wayle that euer it came here
yf ye beholde the galantes progenye vyperius
That out of Fraunce be fledde for theyr intoxicacyon
Hathe nowe vengeaūce consumed / that realme gloryus
For theyr pryde and synfull abhomynacyon
That all the worlde may wayle theyr desolacyon
O Fraunce why ne had these galauntes byden there
Englonde may wayle that euer it came here
For in this name galaūt ye may expresse
Seuen lettres for some cause in especyall
[Page] That fygureth ye .vij. deedly syn̄es & theyr wretchednes
By whome man is made to the deuyll thrall
was not pryde cause of Lucyfers fall
Pryde is in hell / and galauntes nygheth them nere
Englonde may wayle that euer it came here
O thou gaye galaunte by thyn vnthryfty name
with gabbynge and glosynge getest that thou hast
Gyle was thy fader and Ialousye thy dame
In gettynge / in Ianglynge thy dayes ben past
For all thy gloryous goynge / aege gnaweth fast
Thy glased lyfe and glotony / be glewed so in fere
That englonde may wayle that euer it came here
Appetytes of auaryce / be to them so amerous
Ambusyon and arrogaunce ben of one affynyte
Auenture and angre ben aye so debatous
Feynynge estate of counterfet auctoryte
Adulacyon of auenture / mayst thou not auaunt the
As a lyer in goodnes in thyn araye doost appere
Englonde may wayle that euer it came here
For all thy loude lechery / thou lepest so fast aboute
That good loue and lawe ben almoost lorue
Of lust and lykynge ledest thou suche a route
That laches and lechery haue clennes to torne
Thou laboureth to lose / that thy frendes gate toforne
For lewednes and lechery ben so ledde in fere
Englonge may wayle that euer it came here
Abhomynable accydyo accuseth all our nacyon
Our aungelyke abstynence is nowe refused
Ferthermore of Antecryste this newe dyssymulacyon
Alas that suche sorowe amonge vs is vsed
[Page] Our auaryce and hatered haue vs so accused
That dyuerse aduersytees sueth vs yere by yere
Englonde may wayle that euer it came here
For our wastynge wretchednes yt hath waded so depe
In our wanton werynge of clothes to torne
To wyldnes and wrathe the world taketh moost kepe
For in wastynge & vanyte / men reken not what is lorne
For wyfe and for women / for ware the horne
That vertuous virgynyte is deed and layde on bere
Englonde may wayle that euer it came here
The noble course of nature nycete hath deuoured
For nede / nedeth be so it causeth our desolacyon
So hathe these newe fangles our welthe obscured
That neclygence nouryssheth necessyte to our confusyon
This causeth our galauntes by theyr nacyon
Neuerthryfte and tryfles / noye euer vs so nere
Englonde may wayle that euer it came here
For trygetours and tryflours that tauernes haunte
Haue trouth and temporaunce troden vnder foote
Talewes and talkynge and drynkynge ataunte
As tyrauntes and tractours / toyllous in moote
Tyll they be tryed out is there no boote
And trysed to baratrum / tossed in fere
Englonge shall wayle that euer it came here
O galaunt vpon galaunt / and o thou galaunt gaye
And thou ruskyn galaunt that pouerte dooth menace
For all thy warrocked hoode and thy proude araye
And thy parrocked pouche that thou so fast doost brace
Thou besyest the to counterfet Lucyfets trace
Thynke not to longe or thou dwell with hym there
Our men with cloutes at theyr brest lyke a pye
Our women haue debated with shamefastnes
And our men with vnclennes yf I shall not lye
O Englonde thou mayst wepe with Ieromye
Seynge the people thus ledde by the ere
Englonde may wayle that euer it came here
Our women in theyr parte labour as they may
In theyr araye with chere and countynaunce
Our men on theyr syde make them fresshe and gay
And laboure to purchace womens pleasaunce
Thus betwene bothe groweth moche myschaunce
Eche seketh synne as it doth appere
Englonde may wayle that euer it came here
Our galāntes lyue in lustes as beestes
Maynteynours of quarelles and vnthryftynes
Our shameles women with theyr hyghe creestes
Extorcyon / robbery / and our vngentylnes
Prelates neclygēce / lordes rauayn / marchaūtes deceytes
These asketh vengeaunce / this lesson must ye lere
Elles shall ye wayle that euer it came here
Beholde these dayes the people of our nacyon
Are charged with synne / and gouerned by foly
How nede wyll compelle vs by transmygracyon
with veray wo dryue vs in to Babylonye
O Englonde where is nowe thy glorye
That somtyme shone thrughe the worlde so clere
well mayst yu wayle that euer this sorowe came here
All people laboure of this newe dysguysynge
In forgynge theyr fantasyes to maynteyne pryde
He is now wysest that can moost of deuysynge
[Page] For the cursed ensample that thou shewest here
So many barefoote people / and so fewe good lyuers
Hath noo man seen syth the worlde began
So many styropes and so fewe good chyuallers
And so many braynles that lytell good can
Men arayed as women and women as man
This causeth deth / that all thynge is so dere
Englonde may wayle that euer it came here
So moche rychesse in araye and so moche nede
So many bedes borne and so lytell deuocyon
So moche fastynge for hungre and so lytell mede
So moche paynted worshyp / and so lytell reason
I trowe no man hath seen in this lytell regyon
Our synne asketh vengeaunce / I am in grete fere
In shorte tyme we shall wayle that euer it came here
How many poyntes were they now a dayes
And yet a good poynt amonge them were to synde
Daggers of vengeaunce redy to make affrayes
with longe taters downe to the ars behynde
Tryppynge with small shākes as lyght as lefe on lynde
To make it toughe and fresshe as it were the newe yere
Englonde may wayle that euer it came here
So many purfled garmentes furred with no sequitur
with so many penylesse purses hath no man sawe
Small gyrdynge in the waast wt all theyr other
That we go all back warde from hyghe to the lawe
ye florysshing mede of our welth we haue begō to mawe
But we beseche god amende vs an other yere
Or elles we shall wayle that euer it came here
Our women are dyspoyled & gyue them to wantonnes
[Page] Good makynge of man is nowe layde on syde
This newe araye is brought vp in this londe so wyde
And yet for all that it may not last a yere
Englonde may wayle that euer it came here
Beholde the rolled hodes stuffed with flockes
The newe broched doublettes open at the brestes
Stuffed with pectoll of theyr loues smockes
Theyr gownes and theyr cotes shredde all in lystes
So many capes as nowe be / and so fewe good preestes
I can not reken halfe the route of theyr marde gere
Englonde may wayle that euer it came here
These galauntes vse also full abhomynable
Theyr typpettes be wrythen lyke to a chayne
And they go haltred in them as hors in the stable
It is a peryllous pronostycacyon certayne
For synfull soules shall be bounde in payne
Hande and fote in perpetuall syre
They shall curse the tyme that euer it came here
All these newe bulwarkes they were at theyr knees
They laboure sore in theyr wyttes fantasyes to fynde
No man holdeth hym contente with his degrees
Pryde gothe before and shame cometh behynde
Alas that Englysshe men sholde be so blynde
So moche sorowe amonge vs and so lytell fere
we may wayle the tyme that euer it came here
Forgete not lyghtly how many straungers
Haue entred this kyngdome and kepte the possessyon
Fyue tymes as wryteth olde cronyclers
And chaunged our tonges in sondry dyuysyon
O clergy praye for our Englysshe nacyon
[Page] That god for his mercy of this synne make vs clere
Elles shall we wayle that euer it came here
Effectually praye god for his reformacyon
Of welte / manhode / and of marchaundyse
And tresory of peas / that cryste in his passyon
Lefte bytwene god and man whan he sholde dye
The comynalte in loue / conserve perseuerauntlye
with tharyte bothe hyghe and lowe to Ioyne in fere
In boydynge of synne that tourmenteth vs here
O Englond remembre thyn olde sadnes
That thou may resorte agayne to thy gladnes
Exyle pryde relyeue to thy goodnes
Synne hath consumed this worldes humanyte
Praye god thou may reioyse thyn olde felycyte
And his blessyd moder / as this londe is her dowere
we haue no cause to wayle that euer it came here
¶Finis.
¶Here endeth this treatyse made of a galaunt. Enprynted at London in the Flete strete at the sygne of the sonne / by wynkyn de worde.
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