A dyalogue defensyue for women, agaynst malycyous detractoures

¶The Fawcon.

¶Stop there sayde the Fawcon, and harke to me a season For thy braggynge bostes, lyghtly I shall make base And declare vnto the, by inuyncyble reason That delyberate dyscrecyon, in the doth take no place Shameles thou arte surely, thus shamefully to speake That man to vyce is moued, by womans prouocacyon For women of cleane lyuynge, be oft moued to breake Theyr chastytie by churles, that chafe them by temptacyon what paynted wordes, womans loue to allure what tokens that be trycke, do these men vse what rynges, what hertes of golde fyne and pure whiche women do vtterly contemne and refuse And whan by suche tokens, men can nat obtayne Theyr purpose and wyll, than they do inuent Letters of loue, expressynge theyr payne And preuely by messengers, they be forth sent

If letters be contemned, yf wrytynges take no place Than labours do louers, in theyr owne persons take They ryde and they ronne, many myles in small space And moue honest women, chast lyfe to forsake with syghes semynge sorowfull, theyr foly they expresse with wepynges theyr wordes, be myxed for to moue Pytefully complaynynge, of deadly dystresse Thus women to deceyue, all wyles they do proue But yf all theyr glosynges, theyr matters can nat spede If theyr tokens with theyr trynkettes, & letters be despysed Than oft constant women, they brynge in great drede whan by vyolent oppressyon, they haue them defylled Dyna that to Iacob the Patryarke, was doughter By Sychem was oppressed, as scrypture doth tell In punyshmēt of his vyolēce, there folowed great slaughter Amonge all the people, that in his cytie dyd dwell In the cytie of Gabaa, what abhomynacyon Dyd men cōmyt, agaynst the Leuytes wyfe The wyde worlde may wondre, of theyr bestyall fasshyon For amonge them by oppressyon, the woman lost her lyfe Dyd nat Annon, that sone was to Dauyd the kynge Chast Thamar oppresse, his syster naturall After whiche acte, he had nat longe lykynge For absolon his brother, gaue hym woundes mortall Lucrecya the Romayne a matrone ryght famous Defyled by oppressyon, of Tarquimus sone After the dede, both shamefull and vyldynous On a swerde that was sharpe and kene, she dyd rone Suche dolour deadly, his herte dyd oppresse Throughe the dede moste detestable, by vyolence commytted That death moste dredefull, to ende her dystresse Before lyfe in efection, she thought to be admytted Many thousandes mo of maydes, wedowes, and wyues Moste tyrānous tourmentes, as wryters do tell Haue suffred, and also haue lost theyr lyues Theyr chastyte to saue, and Tyrānes to repell

They be receyued, ergo I may conclude Vpon thy wordes, that aucthorytie they brynge And from my sayinges, all fables the exclude As touchynge the examples, of womens good lyuynge But nowe to retourne, after longe dygressyon To our matter intended, myne examples declare That men moche haue vsed, crafty instygacyon women to wrappe, in the deuylled net and snare And as prouocacyon, hath ben in tymes past Of men moche vsed, the clēnes to subuert Of women contynent, so suche as lyue chast Be nowe prouoked, from elēnes to auert They be nat women, that theyr gyftes do abuse Of nature and of grace, and to vyce them applye But men moste sensuall, that studye and muse Dayly theyr lust to fulfyll in lecherye Nowe I pray the Pye playnly, as it is in thy thought Speake here thy mynde, whyther more doth prouoke The mn that doth seke, or the woman that is sought The trouth herof shulde cause the, thy raylynge to reuoke Dost thou nat dayly, with thyne eyes se Howe men mased with loue, to women make shute And on the other parte, fewe or none they be Of women to whom suche vyce, thou mayst impute.

Notes

• Gen. 34.
• Iud••••.
• 11. Reg•• 130.