Classic Poem

My knowledge yet, unto the world yknowne,
May haply warne my friends to shunne this baite.
Amonge the lewde this seede is hugely sowne,
They daily take this bitter sweete receite;
For why, their foode is rapine and deceite,
My larges yet to all I franckly give,
Within this world that have desire to live.

The cleargie they no worldly creatures are:
They cost contemne, their weedes but homely bee,
Heaven seedes their soules, their paunche hath pouer fare,
They goodes despise, but what with Scriptures gree,
To helpe the poore whose want they daily see;
Well, these I see, esteemeth not my gift;
To get their thankes, and have I neare a shift?

Yes, yes forsooth (wel fare the fruits of fraud)
They wedded are (a needefull helpe gainst sinne)
Their sonnes full oft desireth more a gaude,
Then at their bookes their fathers fame to winne,
Their daughters scorne to knit, to card, or spinne:
They gentles are, as brave as is the best,
They royst in silkes, and gad to every feast.

With smal expence this pride is not maintaind,
And when you die your lyving bids adue.
If naught you spare, their braverie then is stained,
They must forsake their wonted courtly crue,
Or make some shift, though shame thereof insue:
Which to prevent, this counsel craft doth give,
To proule for them, whilst you in wealth do live.

Scorne you the Pope? scorne not to clawe his coine;
His titles leave; lease not the selfe same gaine,
(You colours have) how so you pence purloine.
Decayed schooles you may erect againe,
You may relieve the needie mysers paine,
With many moe, whom penurie doth pearce
For lacke of skill, which scapes my worthlesse vearse.

The courtier hee will thanke mee for my gift.
Hee spendeth much, yet little hath to spend;
Some say, this course doth seeldome compasse thrift,
Yet freely here his state for to amend,
To bragge it out in bravery to the end,
The courtier younge a lesson loe! I tell:
The elder fort doth knowe the forme full well.

For credite sake you needes must bravely serve,
And credite wonne is quickly worne away:
Get up your crumbes, therfore, ere grace doth swerve;
Fawne still on them that beare the greatest sway,
Attendaunce daunce when others plie their play,
The mightiest please, how so their mindes are ledde:
For wisest wittes with some conceites are fedde.

With lawyer soone see thou thy selfe acquaint,
Which knowes what giftes are in the princes handes,
What lyes conceald by reason of attaint,
What fee, what farme, amonge his leages landes,
Drawes to an end, that clarkly understandes,
What office yeeldes a gaine above the rest,
What penall lawe to begge for thee is best.

Who finely drawes a pattent for a neede,
And pattents see you alwayes have in store,
A time may serve, when haply you may speede,
Which fitted not so well a yeare before;
And by the way, this care have evermore,
Well to foresee to whom you wray your minde,
Least in your sutes you slender favour finde.

Your charge is great, shift therefore for your selfe,
For facion sake yet flatter to their face,
But use no course in prowling up of pelfe,
And if mishappe doth throw one out of grace,
Bee readie preast to prease into his place;
For why, your joy comes by your neighbours thrall,
Then be not nyce to rise where hee doth fall.

The souldier stoute, whom fortune still doth tosse,
To shadowe fraude forsothe hath fynest shoe:
His sweetest gaynes are sawste with sower losse,
Yea, life full oft to reach releese must goe:
Here faintes his friend, there fightes his mortall foe,
Here bulletes towze at unawares him meete,
There hawlberds hewe, here bilmen doth him greete.

If in this dole hee chaunce to reach a rap,
In faith, at home hee findes a could releefe,
Best therefore then, whilst fortune fittes for hap,
Hee shift for one, for feare of future greefe:
The souldier once is never tearmde a theese,
How so hee wronges, how so hee spoyles and spends,
And reason good, his life oft makes amends.

The poorer sort yet seeldome compasse thrift,
To helpe whose want Mast. Craft doth use this way,
(A prettie helpe) for such as love to shift;
To watch and ward to filche his fellowes pray,
To sacke the wight that gladly would obey,
To spoile his friend, as one hee doth not knowe,
If ought be said, hee toke him for his foe.

But now to you which have both charge and sway:
You must be brave for fame and credite sake,
Yet must you pinch no souldier of his pay,
Lest nipt with neede (poore slave) his heeles hee take,
In heate of blowes before his head doth ake;
What then? (well kept) a few will do more good,
Then store of lowtes, which feare to loose their blood.

Dead payes will helpe to cheerish all the rest,
And likewise you shall finde therein some gaine;
And when to filch your souldiers are addrest,
Fleese you their pray, then chide them for their paine
For stragling out from resdue of their traine;
Ne spare to spoile when force doth faile your foe:
Take time and tide, least fortune play the shroe.

The lawyer hee, with doubtes that dulls his braine
For tenne yeares space, his time in studie spends,
Ere practise his doth purchase stoare of gaine;
Too long a plague, so long to fawne on friends,
And spend on stoare in hope of after mends;
And therefore, sure, deceite deserves no curse ,
For working meanes meane while to fill his purse.

And yet, in sooth, a grote will buy his gift,
A booke of notes, remembraunce 'tis to ease,
Wherein is writ full many a prettie shift;
Post facto stuf, and non est factum please,
By larger grauntes, the lease away to fease.
Conditioned releases how to frame,
By former wordes the latter for to lame.

Such quillets nyce, when thus you noted have,
Some practise needes must print them in your thought;
Set such at lawe, in words as late but strave,
And when they both in backhouse ditch are brought,
To poule them both let some devise be wrought.
Forget not this when writings hit your hand,
(If youthes them owe) with doubtes to lame his land.

With hope of gaine his greedy minde else move
To voyde some graunt, or worke some leases wracke:
A lease of trust then must the title prove,
At leasure yet this timelesse trust turne backe,
Your interest small, his greatest right will sacke;
For once in proofe, this proverbe still doth last,
A little lyme a foule will fetter fast .

Physicians now, that weyes how weake wee are,
Newe cures must search, our griefes are now so straunge:
Old Gallens drugges our time unfitteth farre,
Augmented then, his cures abroade must raunge;
For healthlesse men on every hope will chaunge,
But once reteynde, be sure thou use this course,
Another blame, although thy selfe be worse.

See your receites some lightning yeeld at first,
To worke conceites within your patients thought;
Persuade him still his paine is at the worst,
Yet heale and harme, till wished gaine be wrought;
But for the poore, see some releefe be sought,
And for your paines, let rich men (greeved) pay:
No cure performde, your custome will decay.

But now to you whom office doth advaunce,
For your behoofe I (forst) imploy my paine;
You come devaunt , uppon a sorrie chaunce,
Yea, stocke you set uppon a tickle maine,
Durant le vie no longer lastes your gaine,
And ere you sway, some thousand pounds must flee,
Which is not raysde (in hast) uppon your fee.

In tenne yeares space, five hundred ma[r]kes a yeare
Unto his heire; who purchase not to leave,
Shall sure be blamde of mysers every where:
If truth cause lacke, most say, the rest deceave;
If all be false, few will such faultes conceive.
Once wronge you must a thousand for this gaine,
How voyde you then the penall statutes paine?

You are forbid inroulements for to rase,
To fit your friend, or foile your hated foe,
To save old seales, to give forg'd writtes their grace,
To chaunge records, a frendly turne to showe,
For once you may both helpe and overthrowe:
Yet use you must both meanes by slie devise,
But frosted bee, for feare of slippery yse.

Provide a cloake to couler stil your crime,
Then worke your will, Apollo oft doth sleepe;
But if your wyles do come to light in time,
To salve such misse some carelesse servaunt keepe,
Plague him with blame when you the profite reape:
What if sharpe checkes do put you in some feare,
The gaine remaines the tauntes in time doth weare.

Mas. gaylor needes must taste of this my gift:
Extortion cryes, against his yron fees.
What then? in hould this is your onely shift,
With shackles huge your prisoners to displease;
Thus pincht (good soules) they will pay, pray, and please:
Pence poucht ne dreade, although they stoutly crake,
To use redresse poore prisoners unde lacke.

Now gallants learne, whom bravery still consumes,
To royst in silkes, to flaunt in coulers gay,
To pranke your wives up in their pecockes plumes,
To snuffe, to scorne, to looke beyond your sway,
To finde a mint, to feede your mindes with play,
To hauke, to hunt, to boast, to braule, to fight,
Which are the thoughtes that feede you with delight.

This cost is more then carelesse youthes forethinke,
But cost, ne care, their hautie mindes can vaile;
Syth not, see fines, your farmers cofers shrinke.
Of timber trees then strike the loftie saile,
The bodies next will serve for bord and pale:
If all these helpes your charge will not defraye,
But still your names in merchauntes jornalls staye,

The flote your mindes, if house and land must flee,
To two or three the same give, graunt, and sell,
Cave emptor , to thy assuraunce see:
Hap well, hap ill, some speedeth pretie well,
The rest must take their fortune as it fell;
Shift you for one, the world to fraude is bent,
Coyne stayes your friend, when fleering wordes are spent.

Come, merchaunts, come, and take in worth my gift,
Whose lynxes eyes in younge mens state do prie,
Their losse your gaine, their spending is your thrift,
They broche your bagges till all their lyving flie:
But holla hoe! a bug is usurie:
Hee houldes you backe, from three times tenne to take
On morgage good, least no returne you make.

What resteth then? your coyne will rust saunce use
And statute loane cannot content your thought:
Well fare a shift, both lawe and them t' abuse,
You know in prime, each thing is easily wrought;
The dog to draw, the horse to order brought,
The skillesse youth is wonne with every gaude,
The reason is his thought is free from fraude.

To worke this feate, see that you use this course
When dolefull knell doth bidde a churle adue,
Send streight to know on whom death usd this force:
Not to this end your neighbours fate to rue,
But of his heire in hast to have a vew;
If hee be younge, well left, and easily wonne,
To feede his vaine see wordes and workes be donne.

Some prettie summe on small assuraunce lend
If youth be slow, at leasure bid him pay,
Some times bestowe good counsell as his friend,
But helpe him to ech toy to make him gay,
To pay for all, at length, will come a day;
By peecemeales thus in lash hee wilbe brought,
In daunger once, let this devise be wrought.

Get some to rest, and vexe this thriftlesse youth,
Not at thy sute (although by thy consent)
To free himselfe from catchpoles litle ruth,
For thy goodwill to thee his minde is bent,
To mone his state, his time and coyne mispent,
To faine thy heart to his behoofe is fixt,
Then let advise with prettie tauntes be mixt.

But to conclude, lend him his turne to serve,
Yet binde him sure, least hee do slip away,
In statutes, which lands, goods and body sterve,
Twentie to one, hee forsets at his day:
The vauntage then will double usaunce pay,
Extent on land, the sale will slaunder soe,
That fee, in fine, on easie prise will goe.

You burgoses, which sell the costly stuffe,
That wares to ebb our gallants goodes and land,
This lesson learne, and utter wares ynough,
Beyonde the price of paying downe in hand:
His state and stay, first wisely understand,
Close fisted then, deliver him thy ware,
But binde him sure, if thou his paiment feare.

If day hee breake, let commens be no leache,
No forset once the citie custome gives;
In the hoystinges an outlawes note him teache,
Beare with his talke, his crakes, and yreful tauntes,
Lawe will him stoupe in spight of all his vauntes:
Collusion thoe, this dealing some do reake,
Yet jumpe thou thus a penal law to breake.

Come, soriveners, come, the frie of all abuse,
Deceite beseemes you best of any men;
Why blush you so? you neede not frame excuse,
You are to helpe a thousand with your pen,
Chetors, cousners, merchauntes, your selves like men:
Good reason; you have store of subtile skill,
Sith you are meanes each misers bagge to fill.

Bee sure you have the groundes of lawe by rote,
What wordes unlose, and what as fast do binde:
Eche quillet nyse see that you neerely note
In paper booke, as tendes to fraude you finde,
In morgages, leases, covenantes unkinde,
Conditions, bondes, feossments, graunts, & cetera ,
In some one point the craftie jacke still play.

For craft is that that doeth you credite gaine,
Rich Burgoses your chiefest clients are.
They lay the plot, but you must take the paine;
Monie takers to meash in neates of care,
They fast, farewell, such will no vauntage spare.
Thus sith your trade doth tend to falsehoode vile,
Good reason you acquaint your selse with guile.

This monstrous mate had neede of thousand shiftes,
To feede the thoughtes of those whose forme he beares.
A lawyers head hee hath, full stuft with driftes,
A simple looke, to free rash youthes of feares,
A flatterers tongue, to feede beleeving eares,
A harlots face, to witch with wanton sight,
A tyrauntes heart, to wound the harmlesse wight.

A scriveners fist, a lackyes legge to trudge,
A merchauntes minde, to mountaines that aspires,
A gluttons throte, to shewe hee is no snudge;
What gaine may be ungleand this monster then desires?
What youth unspoilde, whose wreake this feend conspires?
And sith this mate so manyes turne must serve,
This course, for cheates, craft willes him to observe.

First, flatterie, thou must prye abroad for pray,
Thou wily must eache gallauntes state escrie,
Companion like with them thou needes must play;
If able youth dice neede to nip thou spie,
Unto his helpes be sure thou have an eye,
And one some lost, drawe neare and note his mone,
And proferre him supplie on easy lone.

Now, merchaunt, hide thy hooke in golden baite,
In plaine Johns name yet let this dealing bee,
His simple showe will couler foule deceite;
To make false deedes let maister lawyer see,
To get them seald use scriveners policie,
To meash him sure let flatterie still assay,
But be not yet to eger of your pray.

With friendly show first worke him in conceite,
Then, epicure, thy bountie let him feele:
To witch his witts make mystresse Mynxe a baite;
Hee snarled once, ryng out the cousners peale,
To forge, to rase: such stuffe then make him seale
As over soone will put him to his shift,
Noe force for that, hee might have eyde his thrift.

But fraude bewrayde, if wronged youth complaine,
Then, tyraunt, start to save the rest from shame.
To stay his sute by catchpoles lay a trayne,
With actions huge his crased credite lame;
In prison popt, there is no laughing game;
There friends do faile if monie ebbeth lowe,
His sute is cold, his lawyer wilbe slowe.

Hee, nipt with neede, and reft of of freedome both,
As one halfe dead, in hast will sue for ease:
First make it coy, as men to greement loth,
His slaundrous plaint so doth your trueth displease,
As trial must this foule report appease;
In fine, yet come, and ere you goe agree,
And featherlesse let my yonge maister flee.

An other sort of cheating mates there are,
By neede inforst, that sues to craft for ayde,
Whom thriftlesse life hath wrapt in heapes of care,
In prison throwne, of succour cleane dismayde;
Whose wealth is worne, of friends whose way unwayde,
Whose hautie heartes gainst thraldome yet do spurne,
Neede workes for these some shiftes to serve their turne.

If any such ripe witte or learning have,
Want joinde with craft this counsell doth bestow,
(To flaunte it out, in outward shew full brave)
To faine eche acte, yea, thought by art they know,
A salve for love, fooles fortunes for to shoe,
Goods stolne or lost with a vengeaunce for to fetch,
Or faine thou art for every griefe a leach.

But at the first, to make your cunning knowne,
A baude or two send pryinge round about,
Where loving wormes, or sickly wightes are throwne:
Old churles some have, some love and reape a flout,
Some sicknes catch by keeping revell route.
To wightes thus griev'd, though slender helpe you give,
Use shewe of skil, in hope to make them live.

If fortune hap to hitt some heartes desire,
You neede no trumpe your knowledge for to spred,
But, by the way, give mother Bee her hire,
Then wil shee prate to bring a patch to bed,
And vouch for proofe how such and such have sped,
Although, in trueth, this shifting is but theft;
Your coates for this the hangeman silde hath reft.

You holy gyrles, the hindmost in my gift,
Be formost yet in fraud and foule abuse,
While beautie lastes, in blooming yeares to shift,
For your behoofe this counsell craft doth use;
To make it nyce, large offers to refuse,
Alooft to stand, if Vobis (rich) do sue:
The more you flee, the more he followes you.

If carelesse boyes your coynesse cannot brooke,
Such gallants win with outward shew of grace,
They swallowing up with sugred bayte the hooke,
With carelesse toyes their fancies can not chase;
And when you stoupe their hote desires t'imbrace,
Looke to your match: the world is full of wyle,
And well you wot, how sugred words beguile.

Still have an eye to beauties vading blase,
And prye for dames which soone in prime will be:
On painted stuffe though often gallants gase,
The wily sort your surfling straight will see,
To fit their turnes sticke not to play the bee;
Scorne not for gaine in age to holde the doore:
They once were yong that were your baudes before.

And now (my larges given) farewel soule guile,
Farewel (O world!) no wile shal make me rich.
My mynd abhorres welth won by falshoods vyle,
To mount by fraud, I loth such loftie pitch,
I can not scratch the harmelesse ere they itch;
If due desart, proude Flatterie pyneth still,
I list not fawne, play hypocrite that will.

Fare wel, fare wel (O world!) farewel againe,
Thou now, God wot, from wonted course doest reele.
The clergie once in preaching tooke great paine,
Whose words in works bare witnes of their zeale;
Most now in words, but few in works reveale,
They teach with toung, when thought on tything is:
O wicked world! thy wealth is cause of this.

O world accurst! in court thou settest pryde,
Whose mynions are fraude, flatterie, and disdaine;
They pyne desart, before his truth be tryde,
They forge offence, well meaning mindes to staine:
They cast at al, yet sildome lose amaine.
Wo worth the world! thy braverie works the wracke
Of such in court as well deserve and lacke.

The souldier stout, foreseeing small reliefe
For service doone, if spoyled home he comes,
Is forst to play, no souldier but the theefe;
When fortune fits to gather up his crumbes,
For once at home, poore store of pence he thumbes.
O world! thy wealth with rulers worketh so,
As what they have, they hardly will forgo.

The lawe, first made to weede out wrongs for right,
To yeald amends unto the poore opprest,
Is wrested nowe for favour or for spight;
Nowe monie so corrupts the lawyers breast,
That daying is for poore mens suits the best:
Yea, such effects in worldly mucke doth lurke,
As judges harme where helpe they ought to worke.

Fine fare and slouth diseases strange do breede,
And grieved wights will spare no cost for ease;
But golden fees so doth physicians feede,
As seelde or nere, they rich mens paines appease:
With drinks and drugs, they still do them displease.
O wicked world! thy welth first wrought their grief,
Thy wealth againe doth hinder their reliefe.

Desire of gaine make offices so leape,
As solde they be, not given who best deserves;
Who buyeth deare seelde thrives by selling cheape,
Who wrongeth yet from honest getting swerves;
No force for that, fewe nowe such course observes:
Thus pelfe (O world!) first makes the doner toule,
To leavie mendes the done needes must poule.

Each pleasant paine, each sweete inticing sowre,
O world! thou workst our wanton yeres to witch,
And not content we should our selves devour,
But churles thou sett'st to clawe us ere we itch:
Thou burnst the byrde, and bastes the bacon flitch.
O spiteful world! thou hap frank harts dost grutch,
And grievest churles by giving of too much.

The merchant once bent all his care to seas,
In forreine soyle he sought desired gaine;
Then was his toyle to common wealth an ease,
And he deserv'd his wish in lue of paine,
But nowe at home he findes a sweeter vaine:
Sance venter nowe he will in wealth abound.
Foule fall the wight this second trade that found!

The reachlesse heede youthes have in large expence,
To flaunt it out their cost, no care to thrive,
Inticeth churles with shewe of good pretence,
In prime of pride their maintnance to deprive;
For lymed once, small bootes (the wrong'd) to strive:
Right cousners have such helpes and friends at neede,
As straunge it is to see how cleare they speede.

Thy pryde, O world! doth breede such wanton thought,
As most men nowe receive dame Venus hyre,
To stoupe faire dames such sharp assaults are sought,
Such proffers large, such wiles to winne desire,
As wonder t' is what fortes are set on fire:
Who sinneth not is such a gnawing bone,
To raise this siege that fewe will throwe a stone.

Fye on the world! fye on thy foule deceites;
Fye on thy fraude, thy flatterie, and thy pryde!
Fye on thy shifts, thy subtilties, and sleites;
Fye on thy cloakes thy filthy crimes to hyde:
Adieu, adieu! I can thee not abyde.
And thee, O God! for evermore I laude,
For keeping me untainted so with fraude.

For though I have consumd my dayes in thrall,
Now death drawes neere, my count is quickly made;
And well I wot, death doth all sorts appall,
The prince, the poore, yea men of every trade:
Who lewdly lives with recknings huge is lade;
Thus worldlings griefe, where mine doth eb, doth flowe,
A sorrie sweete to end with sowre woe.

Through conscience I feele no thought of hell,
I conquer'd have of dreadful death the feare:
Where is thy sting, where doth thy furie dwell?
Where is thy force (O Death!) wher is thy speare?
Assault say I; that with my Christe I were!
I ready am, but evening, noone, and morne,
The divell, the world, and all their works I scorne.