Here begynneth a treatyse of this galaunt with the maryage of the bosse of Byllyngesgate. vnto London stone.

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¶ Here begynneth a treaty se of this Galaunt with the maryage of the bosse of Byl¦lyngesgate. vnto London Stone.

[illustration]

Galaunt.

Ryght as small flodes / encrease to waters fell So y^t narowe furrous / maye not susteyne. Ryght so pryde vnclosed may not counsell this new wretchednes y^t causeth vs {con}playne How wo hath wrapped vs in a cruell chayne Our pryde sheweth it well bothe terre and nere Englonde may wayie▪ that euer it came here

¶ The synne that now regneth / to beholde is ruthe. Of fraude and dysceyte / grete abhom ynacyon But nede constrayneth vs / now to saye the truthe Of pryde and dysceyte / this newe dyssymulacyon That blyndeth and consumeth / our Englysshe nacyon. Lucyters progeny amonge vs doth appere Englande may wayle that euer it came here

¶ Ryght late stode our lande in suche prosperyte Of chyualry / manhode / and ryche marchaundyse Thrughe all crysten royalmes / sprange our felycyte. Of grete welthe and prowesse / in sondry wyse Our sadnes is chaunged / for the newe guyse We haue eryled our welthe / I note where Englande may wayle / that euer it came here.

¶ Pryde hath founde waye to exclude man fro blys In dysfygurynge nature / by this newe araye Bothe men and women / can saye what it is For bothe nede and pouerte / goth nowe ryght gaye But alas our sorowe / encreaseth euery daye And yf ye lyue longe ye shall bothe se and here That Englande shall wayle / that euer it came here.

¶ For pryde hathe our plente / tourned to euyll fare And fedeth vs as beestes / that draweth in the ploughe Many a worthy man / bryngeth he to sorowe and care Where fortune somtyme / fresshely on hym loughe Examyne thy lyuynge that this worlde vseth ynoughe. How / nede with synne / groweth euery where Englande may wayle that euer it came here

¶ For many a vengeaūce as scrypture maketh mencyon Hath fallen to kyngdomes in sondry wyse And fynally put the people in dystruccyon For theyr obstynacy / a newe fangle guyse Alas englande that somtyme was so wyse. Other nacyons refuse / hast bought so dere That thou mayst wayle / that euer it came here.

¶ Somtyme we had Fraunce / in grete derysyon For theyr hatefull pryde and lothsome vnclennes Vse we not nowe / the same in our regyon And haue permuted out welthe / for theyr gladnes Lechery of our people is become a maystres. Our gentylnes / for galauntyse haue we lefte there. Englonde may wayle that euer it came here.

¶ It ye beholde the galauntes progenye byperyous That out of Fraunce be fledde / for theyr intoxycacyon Hath nowe vengeaūce consumed / that royalme gloryous For theyr pryde / and synfull abhomynacyon. That all the worlde / may wayle theyr desolacyon O Fraunce / why dyde not these galauntes abyde there Englande 〈…〉〈…〉

¶ For in this name Galaunt / ye maye expresse. Seuen letters for some cause in especyall That fygureth y^e. vii. deedly synnes & theyr wretchednes By whome man is made / to the deuyll thrall. Was not pryde cause of Lucyfers fall Pryde is in hell / and galauntes nygheth them nere. Englonde may wayle / that euer it came here

¶ O thou gay galaunt / by thyne vnthryfty name With gabbynge & glosynge / gettest that thou hast Gyle was thy father / and Ialousye thy dame In Iettynge / in Ianglynge / thy dayes ben past. For all thy gloryous goynge / age gnaweth fast Thy glased lyfe and glotony / be glewed so in fere That Englande may wayle••t that euer it came here

¶ Appetytes of auaryce / be to them so amerous Abusyon and arrogaunce / ben of one affynyte Aduenture and angre / ben aye so debatous. Faynynge estate / of counterfet auctoryte Adulacyon of aduenture / mayst thou not auaunt the As a lyer in goodnes / in thyne araye doest appere Englande may wayle / that euer it came here

¶ For all the lande / lechery lepeth aboute That good loue and lawe / ben almoost lorne Of luste and lykynge / ledest thou suche a route That slouth and lechery / haue elennes to torne Thou labourest to lose / that thy frendes gat to forne For lewdenes and lechery / ben so ledde in fere. Englonde may wayle that euer it came here.

¶ Abhomynable accydye / accuseth all our nacyon Our aungelyke abstynence / is nowe refused. Ferthermore of Antecryste / this newe dyssymulacyon Alas that suche sorowe / amonge vs is vsed Our auaryce and hatred / haue vs so accused That dyuers aduersytees / seweth vs yere by yere. Englande may wayle that euer it came here.

¶ For our wastynge wretchednes / that wades so depe. In our wanton werynge / of clothes to torne To wyldenes & wrathe / the worlde taketh moost kepe. For in wastynge & vanyte / men reken not what is lorne For wyfe and for women / for to were the horne. That vertuous vyrgynyte / is deed and layde on bere Englande may wayle that euer it came here

¶ The noble course of nature / nycete hath deuoured For nede causeth it to be our desolacyon So hath the newe fangles / our welth obscured That neclygence nouryssheth necessyte / to our confusyon. This causeth our galauntes / by theyr nacyon Neuerthryfte and thryueles / noye euer vs so nere Englande may wayle / that euer it came here.

¶ For trygetours & tryflours / that tauernes haunte Haue trouth and temperaunce / troden vnder foote Talewes and talkynge / and drynkynge ataunte. As tyrauntes and traytours / toyllous in moote Tyll they be tryed out is there no boote And trysed to baratrum / tossed in fere. Englande shall wayle / that euer it came here.

¶ O galaunt vpon galaunt / & o thou galaunt gaye And thou ruskyn galaunt / that pouerte doth menace For all thy warrocked hoode / and thy proude araye And thy parrocked pouche / that thou so fast doest brace. Thou busyest the / to counterfet Lucyfers trace. Thynke not to longe / or thou dwell with hym there For the cursed ensample / that thou shewest here:

¶ So many barefote people / & so fewe good lyuers Hath no man sene / syth the worlde began So many styroppes / and so fewe good chyuallers And so many braynles / that lytell good can Men arayed as women / and woman as man This causeth deth / & that all thynge is so dere Englande maye wayle / that euer it came here

¶ So moche rychesse and araye / and so moche nede So many bedes borue / and so lytell deuocyon So moche fasrynge for hungre / and so lytell nede So moche paynted worshyp / and so lytell reason I trowe no man hath sene / in this regyon Our synne asketh vengeaunce / I am in grete fere. In shorte tyme we shall wayle / that euer it came here.

¶ Howe many poyntes were they nowe a dayes And yet a good poynte / amōge them were harde to fynde Daggers of vengeaunce / redy to make frayes. With longe taters downe to the ars behynde Tryppynge w^t small shankes / as lyght as lefe on lynde. To make it toughe & fresshe / as it were the newe yere Englande may wayle that euer it came here

¶ So many purfled garmentes / furred w^t non sequitur With so many penyles purses / hath no man sawe. Small gyrdynge in the waste / w^t all theyr other mustur That we go all backewarde / from hyghe to lawe Y^• florysshynge mede of our welth / we haue begō to mawe But we beseche god / amende vs another yere Or elles we shall wayle that euer it came here

¶ Our women are dyspoyled / & gyue them to wantones Our men with cloutes / at theyr brest lyke a pye Our women haue debated / with shamefastnes And our men with vnclennes / it I shall not lye O englande thou mayst wepe with Ieromye Seynge the people thus ledde by the ere. Englande maye wayle that euer it came here.

¶ Our women in theyr parte / laboure as they may In theyr aray with chere and countenaunce Our men on theyr syde make them fresshe and gay And laboure to purchace / womens pleasaunce Thus bytwene bothe groweth moche myschaunce Eche seketh synne as dothe appere. Englande may wayle / that euer it came here.

¶ Our galauntes lyue / in lustes as beestes. Maynteynours of quarelles / and vnthryftynes. Our shameles women with theyr hyghe crestes Extorcyon / robbery / and our vngentylnes. Prelatis necligēce lordis rauayn & marchaūtis deceytes These asketh vengeaunce / this lesson must ye lere Elles shall ye wayle / that euer it came here.

¶ Beholde these dayes / the people of our nacyon. Are charged with synne / and gouerned by folye. Howe nede wyll compell vs / by transmygracyon With very wo / dryue vnto Babylonye. O englande / where is nowe thy glorye That somtyme shone / thrughe the worlde so clere. Well mayst thou wayle / that euer this sorowe came here.

¶ All people laboure of this newe dysguysynge. In forgynge theyr fantasyes / to maynteyne pryde. He is nowe wysest / that can moost of deuysynge Good makynge of a man is nowe layde on syde This newe araye is brought vp / in this lande so wyde And yet for all that it may not last a yere Englande may wayle that euer it came here

¶ Beholde the rolled heddes / stuffed with flockes. The newe broched doublettes / open at the brestes Stuffed with pectoll / of theyr loues smockes. Theyr gownes and theyr cotes / shredde all in lystes So many cappes as now be / & so fewe good preestes I can not reken halfe the route of theyr marde gere. Englonde may wayle that euer it came here.

¶ These galauntes / vse also full abhomynacyon. Theyr typpettes be wrythen / lyfe to a chayne. And they go haltered in them / as horse in the stable It is a peryllous pronostycacyon certayne For synfull soules / shall be bounde in payne Hande and fote in perpetuall fyre. They shall curse the tyme / that euer it came here.

¶ All these newe bulwarkes / they were at theyr knees They laboure sore in theyr wyttes / fantasyes to fynde No man holdeth hym contente / with his degrees Pryde goth before / and shame cometh behynde Alas that Englysshe men / sholde be so blynde So moche sorowe amonge vs and so lytell fere We may wayle the tyme that euer it came here

¶ Forget not lyghtly / howe many straungers. Haue entred this kyngdome / and kepte the possessyon. Fyue tymes / as wryteth olde cronycles And chaunged our tunges / in sondry dyuysyon. O elergy / praye for our Englysshe nacyon That god for his mercy / of this synne make vs clere Elles we shall wayle / that euer it came here

¶ Effectually pray god / for his reformacyon. Of welth / manhode / and of marchaundyse. And tresoury of peas / that Cryst in his passyon Lefte bytwene god and man / whan he sholde dye. The comynalte in loue / conserue perseuerauntlye With charyte bothe hyghe and lowe to Ioyne in fere In voydynge of synne that tourmenteth vs here

¶ O englonde / remembre thyne olde sadnes Praye god thou maye reioyce / thyne olde felycyte Exyle pryde and releue to thy goodnes For synne hath consumed / this worldes humanyte That thou may resore / agayne to thy gladnes And his blessyd moder / as this lande is her dowere For we haue cause to wayle that euer it came here

¶ Thus endeth this galaunt.