A hedgerovv of busshes, brambles, and briers: or, A fielde full of tares, thistles and tine of the vanities and vaine delightes of this worlde, leading the way to eternall damnation: with seuerall exhortations or cauiats for the carelesse to shun and beware the same. Now newly compiled by I.D.

OF WHOREDOME and Whoremongers.

FOR because of the whorish Woman, a man is brought to a morsel of bread: and a woman will hunt for the precious life of a man.

He that committeth adulterie with a woman, he is destitute of vnderstanding: he that doth it, destroyeth his owne soule.

I saw among the fooles, and considered among the children a young man destitute of vnderstan∣ding,

Who passed through the streete in the twilight in the euening, when the night began to be blacke and darke.

And beholde, there met him a woman with an Harlots behauiour, and subtill in hart.

(Shee is babbling and loude: whose feete can not abyde in her house.

Now she is without, now in the streetes, and ly∣eth in wayte at euery corner.)

So she caught him, and kissed him, and with an impudent face sayd vnto him,

I haue peace offeringes, this day haue I payde my vowes.

Therefore came I foorth to meete thee, that I might seeke thy face: and I haue found thee.

I haue deckt my bed with ornamentes, Carpets,

and laces of Egypt.

I haue perfumed my bed with Myrrhe, Oloes, and Cinamom.

Come, let vs take our fill of loue vntill the mor∣ning: let vs take our pleasure in daliance:

For mine husband is not at home: he is gone a iourney a farre off.

He hath taken with him a bagge of siluer, and will come home at the day appoynted.

Thus with her great cralt she caused him to yeelde, and with her flatteryng lyppes she entised him.

And he folowed her straight wayes, as an Oxe to the slaughter, and as a foole to the stockes for correction,

Till a dart strike through his lyuer, as a birde hasteth to the snare, not knowing that he is in danger.

He that feedeth Harlottes, wasteth his sub∣stance.

Geue not thy life vnto a woman, least she ouer∣come thy strength, and so thou be confounded.

Meete not an Harlot, least thou fall into her snares.

Vse not the company of a woman that is a sing∣ger and a dauncer: neither heare her, least thou be taken by her craftines.

Gaze not on a Mayde, that thou fall not by that, that is precious in her.

Cast not thy minde vpon Harlots in any maner of thing, least thou destroy both thy selfe and thine

heritage.

The lyppes of a strange woman drop as an hony combe, and her mouth is more soft then oyle:

But the ende of her is bitter as wormewood, and sharpe as a two edged sworde.

Her feete goe downe to death, and her steppes take holde on hell.

She weigheth not the way of lyfe: her pathes are moueable, thou canst not know them.

An adulterous woman, she eateth and wypeth her mouth, and sayth, I haue not committed ini∣quitie.

Thou shalt not commit adulterie.

In the middest of thee, they haue committed ab∣homination.

In thee haue they discouered their fathers shame. In thee haue they vexed her, that was polluted in her flowers.

And euery one hath committed abhomination with his neighbours wyfe: and euery one hath wickedly defiled his daughter in law: and in thee hath euery man forced his owne sister, euen his fa∣thers daughter.

How should I spare thee for this? Thy chidren haue forsaken mee, and sworne by them that are no Gods: though I fedde them to the full, yet they committed adulterie, and assembled them selues by companies in the harlottes houses.

They rose vp in the morning like fed Horses: for euery man neyed after his neighbours wyfe.

The man that committeth adulterie with an∣other

mans wife, because he hath committed ad∣ulterie with his neighbours wife, the adulterer and the adulteresse shall die the death.

And the man that lyeth with his Fathers wyfe, because he hath vncouered his fathers shame, they shall both die: their blood shalbe vpon them.

Also, the man that lyeth with his daughter in Law, they both shall die the death: they haue wrought abhomination; their blood shalbe vpon them.

The man also that lyeth with the Male as one lyeth with a woman, they haue both committed abhomination: they shall die the death; their blood shalbe vpon them.

Likewise, he that taketh a wife and her mother, committeth wickednesse: they shall burne him and them with fire, that there be no wickednesse among you.

There shalbe no whore of the daughters of Is∣rael: neither shall there be a whore keeper of the sonnes of Israel.

Thou shalt not make thy daughter common, to cause her to be a whore, least the land also fall to whoredome, and the land fall of wickednes.

All bread is sweete to a whore-monger: he will not leaue off tyll he perish.

A man that breaketh wedlocke, and thinketh thus in his hart, VVho seeth mee? I am compas∣sed about with darknesse: the walles couer mee: no bodie seeth mee: VVhom neede I to feare? the most high will not remember my sinnes.

The same man shalbe punished in the streetes of the Citie, and shalbe chased like a young Horse foale: and when he thinketh not vpon it, he shalbe taken: Thus shall he be put to shame of euery man, because he would not vnderstande the feare of the Lord.

Ye haue heard that it was sayd vnto them of olde time, Thou shalt not commit adulterie.

But I say vnto you, that who soeuer looketh on a woman to lust after her, hath committed adulte∣rie with her alreadie in his hart.

Notes

• Pro. 6, 2, 32
• Pro. 7, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 14, 15, 16.
• Pro. 7, 17, 18 19, 20, 21, 22 23.
• Pro. 19, 3.
• Ecclu. 9, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.
• Pro. 5, 3, 4, 5, 6.
• Pro. 30, 20.
• Exod. 20.14
• Eze. 22, 9, 10 11.
• Ier. 5, 7, 8.
• Leui. 20, 10.
• Leui. 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 16, 17, 18, 19 20, 21.
• Deut. 23, 17, 18.
• Leui. 19, 29.
• Eccle. 23, 17.18.
• Eccle. 23, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25 26.
• Math. 5, 27, 28.