¶A mery balade, how a wife entreated her Husband, to haue her owne wyll.
IN May when floures swetely smel
The people romyng abrode ful ryfe
A mery tale I shal you tel
yt then was herd, but no great strife
In close, a yong man and his wife
Sate reasonyng sore, but for none yl,
She said, I am wery of this lyfe
Good husband let me haue mine owne will.
¶Wyfe (quoth he) then must I nedes know
What is your wyll then for to haue,
At me you must neither mocke nor mow
Nor yet loute me, nor call me knaue:
Nor VENVS game vpon me craue
Nor yet your honestye for to spill,
And make me neyther boy nor slaue
But do good, and therin take your owne wyl.
¶Tush (quoth she) sir as for that
I wyll be honest, to dye therefore,
But husband husband, wot ye what?
I haue bene your wyfe this month and more:
And haue not gone but to the dore
Such keping in, my heart doth spyll,
By house kepers, neighbours set no store
Good husband let me haue mine owne wyll.
¶Wyfe (quoth he) be you content
You shall to Church and to market go,
And to neighbours to, at time conuenient
But not to gossip, the truth is so:
Tauernes to haunt? no wyfe, no no
Nor yet alehouses, with Iacke nor Gyll,
You know my mynd for friend or fo
Doe good, and therein take your owne wyll.
¶Husband (quoth she) you be to blame
To kepe me in, and so playne withall,
Me thinke I shuld be a fyne dame
Whereby great prayse to you might fall:
I being fayre, nice, and small
Yf I had gay clothes my body to hyll,
Then gentlewomen for me wold call
Good husband let me haue myne owne wyll.
¶No wyfe (quoth he) it wyll not be borne
For you to go fyne, and gayly clad,
To go as I will haue you, thinke ye no scorne
That is, comely and cleane, sober and sad:
Wherefore, be you neyther sicke nor yet mad
Because ye may not your mynd fulfyll,
For your desyre is wicked and bad
Doe good, and therein take your owne wyll.
¶Not mad (quoth she) alas good man
What woman culd your wordes abyde?
I entreatyng you, as fayre as I can
And yet my wordes you set asyde:
Though I be fayre, I loue no pryde
For I serue your swyne with draffe and swyl,
Vnto my friendes I wold fayne ryde
Good husband let me haue myne owne wyll.
¶Wyfe (quoth he) what nedeth all this?
You craue a great deale more then neede,
Your friendes haue no need of vs I wis
Wherefore be stayed good gentle Beede:
Now let vs plow, and sow our seede
Our wynter land is yet to tyll,
How to thryue, let vs first take heede
And do good, and therin take your owne wyl.
¶Oh husband (quoth she) I am but yong
Wherefore I pray you graunt me one thyng,
At libertie let me haue my toung
Eyther to chyde, or els to syng:
To daunce, to kysse, not ouer workyng
But once a weke to go to myll,
My time is short, my death is cumming
Good husband let me haue mine owne wyll.
¶No wyfe (quoth he) I am your head
Wherefore I pray you, my counsell take,
And let such tricks in you be dead
Least that for it, your bones doe ake:
Therefore learne betime to brue and bake
And liue no longer in ydlenesse styll,
Wherefore for your owne ease sake
Doe good, and therein take your owne wyll.
¶Alas (quoth she) what chaunce haue I
To couple my selfe with such a one,
That had rather to see me dye
Then to decke me gay, as I wold haue gone:
To chyde, nor syng, nor to daunce alone
I wold I had maried Iohn Goose quyll,
Then nede I not to haue made this mone
For by him, I might haue had all my wyll.
¶No more of these twayne culd be hard
But home they went together playne,
But let no wyues, this wyfe regard
For her request was all in vayne:
And yet with shrewes some men take payne
And abydeth the iob of the Deuylles byll,
From the which all good wyues refrayne
God geue vs all grace to doe his wyll. Amen.
¶FINIS.
¶Imprinted at London by Alexander Lacy.