A floorish vpon fancie As gallant a glose vpon so triflinge a text, as euer was written. Compiled by N.B. Gent. To which are annexed, manie pretie pamphlets, for pleasant heads to passe away idle time withal. By the same authour.
Breton, Nicholas, 1545?-1626?
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¶ Verses made vppon this Theame: Little medling, breedes mickle rest.
MY youthfull yeares are spent, old age comes stealing on,
And bids me now fond Fancies fits, no more to think vpō
Of worthy Wisdome I; some lessons now haue learnde,
Whereby the difference twixt wit and will, I haue discernde.
Among all which: this one, where euer so I be,
To keepe still secrete to my selfe, what so I here or see.
Which since of lessons all, I d•e not count the worst,
I doe intende his graue aduyse, in this to follow furst.
Fyrst in thy selfe quoth he, all faultes thou must amend,
Before in other men thou seeke, one fault to reprehend.
Of Cato eke I learnd, it is no little shame,
To fynde that fault in other men, wherein I am to blame,
To hold my peace therefore, I count it alwayes best,
And kéepe in minde the old sayd saw, therof comes mickle rest.
¶ I sée a flattering knaue, is set by now and then,
Of greatest heads as much and more, then twenty honest men.
But let me rue the same, •ince I cannot amend it,
I mought a wit•esse f••le be thought▪ to séeke to reprehend it.
¶Some Lawyer •ée• at fyrst, which way the case will go,
Although he list not at the fyrst, to tell his Clyent so:
But what meanes he by that? alas doe you not sée,
Your pence may make you picke it out, and so they shal for mée.
What boote were it for me, their meaning to betray,
And so no pro•••e to my selfe, to take their gaynes away?
¶ The Marchaunt man he sées too syr, by your hye lusty lookes,
That shortly he shall fynde your hande, déepe in his reckoning bookes.
Bids he you then beware betimes, of had I wist,
No no, but lets you lash it out, as long syr as you list?
Or as you can at •east, and if you aske me why:
He will no better counsayle giue, and what he meanes therby?
Y••r lo••• of L•nds ere long, shall learne you how to know,
As well as I can teach you Syr, and better too, I tro•▪
Page [unnumbered]And so shall I offend the Marchauntes nere a whit,
By showing of their silken snares, that in their shops doe sit,
¶ Your Tenaunt too he sées, that by your trym gay Coates,
Some Lease is shortly to be let, then gets he vp his Groates,
And purseth vp his pence, and come with coyne in hande,
To craue of your good Maystership, to hyre a péece of Lande.
And wot you wherefore▪ Syr, your Farmer fynds this feate?
To come with Coyne ready in hand, your friendship to intreate
When that your goods are gone, and you the losse doe sée,
Of braynsick bargaynes made in haste, to mayntayne brauery:
The smart thereof at last, shall shew you then their shiftes,
Then shall you easely discerne, their double dealing driftes,
Which I dare not descry, I am so chargde you see,
To make no wordes of any thing, what euer so it bée.
¶Your seruaunt last he sées, your feathers gin to fall,
And sées your Farmer buy you out, of house and Land and all.
No longer then he lykes your seruice Syr, adew,
And if you meane to kéepe a man, you must go séeke a new.
And aske you me by this, what may his meaning bée?
Sure if you sée it not your selfe, you shall not know for mée.
¶ As for the higher powers, they are too high for mée,
What faultes are to be found in them, I list not séeke to sée:
Let fynde their faultes themselues, so shall they best be pleasde,
And for my silence I am sure, I shall not be diseasde.
¶ But to the rest agayne, that are of meaner sorte,
Of their fyne fetches secretly, I somewhat will reporte.
For openly God wot, I nothing dare descry,
Who hurts not me, nor yet my friends, I will not hurt them I.
But they who doe me harme, I doe not meane to spare,
To bid my friendes in each respect, of such for to beware.
¶ From Citizens to Clownes, what secret shifte they haue,
It is a sport to sée a Clowne, how he can play the Knaue.
The Badger fyrst one Knaue, that hauntes the market place,
When Corn is cheape, to buy good store, now therby lyes a case.
What shuld he mean by that? oh syr, when corn• growes dere,
I néed not tel you what he means, your self shal know next yere
Page [unnumbered]¶ The toleing Myller then, when he hath tollde the sacke,
Hée findes a trade to fyll it vp, if any meale doo lacke.
Nowe what meanes hee by this? this feate howe dothe hee frame?
The Mylstone greete among y• meale, wyl make you find the same.
¶ The Baker then that sees, that meale doth growe so deere,
Hée findes a shyfte to gaine somewhat, howe euer goe the yéere.
But what is that his shyfte? the Bakers man can tell,
And I saye nought, but lytle loaues, wyll shewe it pretely well.
¶ Some other kinde of clownes, or craftie knaues by kinde,
That buye whole groues of woods at once, what shal I speake my minde,
What they doo meane thereby, D• no syr by the roode,
The Coliar & the poore man knowes, whē they doo bye their wood.
¶ The Colyar yet▪ to gaine wyll playe the crafty clowne:
He works a knack yet in his sack•, when coales do come to Towne
But howe he worke• that shyfte, I praye you aske not mée,
But when you see him shoote his coles, then mark what dust you sée.
¶ Another sort of Clownes there are, that lyue by buing Corne:
That secreetely vse knauish shiftes, that are not to bee borne.
And these are Ma•lt men calde: but what their shyftes should bée,
I néede not tell: by speered mault, the Bruer soone wyll see.
¶ The Bruer then •e findes a shifte, to make a gaine,
But what is that? smal drinke alas, doth shew it too too plaine.
¶ Another sort of Clownes there be, that Drouers are by name:
That heards of Cattell buie at once? what meane they by ye same?
Oh syr, although I knowe, I must not saye my minde,
But when the poore man buyes a Cow, then he the cause shal finde,
¶ Another sort there are, which some doo Grasiers call,
And for their secréete kinde of gaine, they are not least of all.
But howe they make their gaine, I lyst not to descrie:
The Butcher when he buies his Béefes, hée better knowes then I.
¶ The Butcher too againe, hée is no foole I trowe.
Hée findes deuise to make a gaine, howe euer Cattell goe:
But shall I tell you howe, Oh syr I must not I,
But marke your weight of bones & pricks, in meate when you doo buye.
¶ The Chaundler then, that of the Butcher tallowe buyes,
If hée buye déere, then wyll hée worke a feate in secreete wise
Page [unnumbered]To make a secreete gaine: but what feate maye that bée?
I dare saye nought, but some the same by watry Lyghts wyll sée.
¶ Some welthy fellowes are, that trauell here and there,
And buye vp almost all the wooll, they can get euery where:
And doo you seeke to knowe what they maye meane by that?
The Draper when you buye your cloth can quickly tell you what.
Tush, many such things moe, I see ofte tymes, God wot,
Which I would helpe too if I coulde▪ but (alas) I can not.
Therefore since I can not, I thinke it alwayes best,
To take good h•ede & holde my peace, for silence bréedes much rest.
If silence then breede rest, why haue I prattled so?
Yet haue I nothing sayde I hope, whereof iust grutch may growe,
But if against my wyll I any doe offende:
I pardon craue, I spake in sporte, and so I make an ende.
The iust wyll lyue vpright, and make an honest gayne,
And if I thinke to mend a Knaue, my labour is in vaine:
But honest men, or else what euer so they be:
Let Countrey, Prince, and Freindes a lone, and let them be for me.
But he that wissheth yll to Countrey, Prince, and freind,
I wyll not keepe his counsayle sure, but rather seeke his ende.
But else as I am warnd. so doe I thinke it best,
To meddle little any way, and so to lyue at rest.
FINIS.
