The praise of Brotherhood: OR.
A description of Hoodes writ in Verse, not in Prose
Shewing which best becomes the Nose.
To the tune of Abington Fayre.
TO Fashions strange the world is bent,
one fashion giues not al content,
For some with maskes there faces hide,
and some theire brests lay open wide.
Some goe with curled locks of haire
and some fine hoods like haukes doe were,
Then choyce of hoodes I will disclose,
And shew which best becomes the nose.
He that through stormes and tempests doth ride
hath néede of a hood his head for to hide,
To kéep off each blast of the Northerne winde
for to much cold comfort I know is vnkind,
When tempests rise and windes doe blow,
and sturdy stormes their fury shew,
A Close hood is good, when cold the wind blowes,
Yet brother-hood best becomes the nose.
He that will haue the world to his minde
must search well his wits new fashions to finde.
And study new fangles to pleasure fond fooles,
for wantons are willing to follow bad rules.
Deceipt is vnséemely it blindes the eyes,
plain-dealing is pleasing which fooles doe despise,
Kéepe peace in thy bosome, shew loue to thy foes,
For brother-hood best becomes the nose.
For brother-hood most I must commend,
the vertue thereof so farre doth extend,
True loue and peace and charity,
in brother-hood doe hidden lye,
He that true brotherhood hath possest,
shall liu [...] well beloued and die double blest,
Greate hopes there in I doe repose
For brother-hood best becomes the nose.
An dayes of old when I was but a boy,
then Brother-hood went for a fashion each day,
But brother-hood now is out of request
and other hoodes are accounted best,
For now strange tricks and trifles they vse,
which makes the poore man to stand in a muse,
I doe say no more then all the world knowes,
For brother-hood best becomes the nose.
Priest-hood is an order diuine,
let them that attaine it in glory so shine,
That poore men vnlearned may find out the way
which leades vnto Rest, that shall neuer decay,
This priest-hood was vnto the learned ordaynd,
O blest is the man that true wisedome hath gayn'd
To succour the néedy and pray for his foes,
For brother-hood best becomes the nose.
Knight-hood procéedes from honour and fame
when men try there Valour to win them a name
With vndaunted force to fight in the field,
to purchase renowne with sword and with shield:
He that fights in field with might and with mayne,
deserues well the honour of Knight-hood to gaine,
Thus poore men by Valour to honour haue rose,
For brother-hood best becomes the nose.
The Second Part
to [...]
MAn-hood Ile prayse the best that I can,
for he that wants manhood is counted no man
And he that wants manners is counted an asse,
A dunce, or a foole, but for that let it passe.
Manhood is more then some men haue possest,
yet he that hath man-hood is a man at the least,
And a man is a man, where so euer he goes
Yet brother-hood best becomes the nose.
Woman-hood next I in order apply,
in good sooth gossipe, Ile tell you no lye,
A beautifull woman from woman-hood frée,
is like a faire Image made of an old tree.
A modest woman is accounted wise
and a shamelesse woman is a griefe to the eyes,
A woman that's shameles her shame wil disclose
Then brother-hood best becomes the nose.
Neighbour-hood next doth follow in rancke
but men are not now so frée and so franke,
So franke, and so frée, So louing and kinde,
for neighbour-hood now is quite worne out of minde
Each man for himselfe now, and God for vs all:
for neighbour-hood now among men is but small,
Yea those that are friends liue as if they were foes,
Though brother-hood best becomes the nose.
The French-hood is a fashion of old,
in Fraunce well respected as I haue bin told
For it so well becomes the Crowne,
that it is held in high renowne,
Old women doe thinke it is wonderfull rare,
as if that none with them might compare,
But for all that I doe depose,
that brother-hood best becomes the nose.
Yet cause the French-hood doeth make a fine show,
therefore Ile speake of it as much as I know,
For sure the French-hood much honour doth gayne,
it holds all the witt that comes in the braine [...]
Giue loue the French-hood and she will ap [...]eare
to looke like a Lady all times of the yeare.
For hoods are deceitfull which makes me suppose,
That brother-hood best becomes the nose.
Child-hood, is a wonderfull simple thinge,
Yet time and old age more wisedome will br [...]
Yet some men in age are so Childish grone
as if that true man-hood they had neuer kno [...]
Let child-hood alone for children to vse,
and when they are old they will it refuse▪
As a child growes in age so in wisedome he growes,
Yet brother-hood best becomes the nose.
But yet theres one hood which I haue not exprest
and that is cal'd fals-hood more worse then the rest,
For false-hood breeds folly in a [...] mans heart:
that doth so vnwisely from vertue depart
He that two faces beares vnder a hood,
his déeds are deceitfull they cann't be withstood,
It will make true friends to be mortall foes,
Then brother-hood best becomes the nose.
I would that the world to loue were inclind
that each man might have a brotherly mind,
For brother-hood then would come in request
and poore men find comfort which are much oppre [...]
He that hath purchast much wealth and much gold
and sets his poore brother to starue in the cold.
I respect such a friend but as one of my foes▪
For brother-hood best becomes the nose.
I. D
FINIS.
Printed at London for R. Harper.