The works of our ancient, learned, & excellent English poet, Jeffrey Chaucer as they have lately been compar'd with the best manuscripts, and several things added, never before in print : to which is adjoyn'd The story of the siege of Thebes, by John Lidgate ... : together with The life of Chaucer, shewing his countrey, parentage, education, marriage, children, revenues, service, reward, friends, books, death : also a table, wherein the old and obscure words in Chaucer are explained, and such words ... that either are, by nature or derivation, Arabick, Greek, Latine, Italian, French, Dutch, or Saxon, mark'd with particular notes for the better understanding of their original.

A Ballad, warning men to beware of deceitful women.

* LOoke well about yee that louers bee, Let not your lusts lead you to do••age, * Be not enamoured on all things that ye see, Sampson the fort, and Salomon the sage Deceiued were for all their great courage, Men deme it right that they see with e••e, * Beware therfore, y^e blind eateth many a flie.

I mean of women for all their cheres queint, Trust them not too much, their truth is but geason, The fairest outward well can they paint, Their stedfastnesse endureth but a season, For they fain frendlines, & worchen treason, And for they are chaungeable naturally, Beware therfore, the blind eateth many a flie.

What wight on liue trusseth on their cheres, Shal haue at last his guerdon and his mede, For women can shaue neerer than rasors or sheres, * Al is not gold y^• shineth, men take hede Their gall is hid vnder a sugred wede, It is full queint their fantasie to aspie, Beware therfore, the blind eateth many a flie.

Though all the world doe his busie cure To make women stand in stablenesse, It would not be, it is against nature, The world is do when they lack doublenes, For they can laugh & loue not, this is expres, To trust on them it is but fantasie, Beware therfore, the blind eateth many a flie.

Women of kind hath conditions three, The first is, they be full of disceit, To spinne also is their property, And women haue a wonder full conceit, For they can weepe oft, and all is a sleit, And euer when they list, the tear is in the eie, Beware therfore, the blind eateth many a flie.

* In sooth to say, though all the erth so wanne Were parchment smooth, white, & scribabell, And the great sea, that called is the Ociane, Were tourned into ink blacker than Sabell, Euery stick a pen, each man a scriuener abell, Not coud they write womans trechery, Beware therfore, the blind eateth many a flie.

Explicit.