The ex-ale-tation of ale, the anciant lickquor of this realme.: Or, A cleare definition of its effecatious operation in severall pates, arts, and professions.

THE Ex-ale-tation of Ale.

Not drunken, nor sober, but neighbour to both I met with a freind in Ales-bury Vale; Hee saw by my face that I was in the case To speake no great harme of a pot of good Ale.

Then did he me greete and said since wee meete (and he put me in mind of the name of the Dale) For Ales-bury sake some paines I would take and not bury the praise of a pot of good Ale.

The more to procure me, then did he adiure me; if the Ale I dranke last were nappy and stale; To doe it his right and stirre up my sprite and fall to commend a pot of &c.

Quoth I to commend it I dare not beginne, least therein my credit might happen to faile For many men now doe count it a sin but once to looke towards a &c.

Yet I care not a pin for I see no such sin nor any thing else my courage to quaile For this we doe finde that take it in kind much Vertue there is in a pot &c.

And I meane not the tast, though thereby much grac't, nor the merrygodowne without pull or hale, Perfuming the throate when the stomach's afloate with the fragrant sent of &c.

Nor yet the delight that comes to the sight to see how it flowers and mantles in graile; As green as a leeke with a smile in the cheeke the true orient colour of a &c.

But I meane the mind and the good it doth find, not only the body so feeble and fraile For body and soule may blesse the black boule since both are beholden to a &c.

For when heavinesse the mind doth oppresse, and sorrow and greife the heart doe assaile, No remedy quicker then to take off your liquor and to wash away cares with a &c.

The Widdow that buried her husband of late will soone have forgotten to weepe and to waile, And thinke every day twaine till she marry againe, reade her but the contents of a &c.

It is like a belly blast to a cold heart and warmes and engenders the spirits vitale, To keep them from domage all spri'ts owe their homage to the spr'it of the buttry a &c.

And downe to the legs this vertue doth goe, and to a bad foot man is as good as a saile, When it fills the veines and makes light the braynes no lackey so nimble as a &c.

The naked complaines not for want of a coate, nor on the cold weather will once turne his tayle, All the way as he goes he cuts the winde with his nose, if he be but well wrapt in a &c.

The hungry man takes no thought for his meat though his stomack would brooke a ten penny naile; He quite forgets hunger and thinkes on it no longer, if he touch but the sparke of a &c.

The poore man will praise it, so hath he good cause, that all the yeare eates neither Partridge nor Quaile, But sets up his rest and makes up his feast with a crust of browne bread and a &c

The Sheapheard, the Sower, the Thresher, the Mower, the one with his scith, the other with his flaile, Take them out by the poll on the perill of my soule all will hold up their hands to a &c.

The blacke smith whose bellowes all summer doe blowe with the fier in his face still, without ere a vale, Though his throate be full dry hee will tell you no lie, but where you may be sure of a &c.

Who ever denyes it the prisoner will praise it, that beg at the grate and lie in the goale: For even in their fetters they thinke themselves better may they get but a two penny blacke pot of Ale.

The begger whose portion is alwayes his prayer, not haveing a tatter to hang on his tayle, Is as rich in his rags as the churle in his bagges, if he once but shakes hands with a &

It drives his poverty cleane out of mind forgetting his browne bread, his Wallet and Mayle He walkes in the house like a sixfooted louse, if he once be enricht with a &c.

And he that doth digge in the ditches all day, and wearies himselfe quite at the plough tayle, Will speake no lesse things then of Queens and of Kings i•• he touch but the topp of a &c.

It is a Whetstone to a blunt wit and makes a supply where nature doth faile The dullest wit soone will looke quite through the Moon if his temples be wet with a &c.

Then Dicke to his darling full boldly dares speake though before (seely fellow) his courage did quaile He gives her the smouch with his hand on his pouch if he meet by the way with a &c.

And it makes the Carter a Courtier straight-way: with rhetoricall termes he will tell his tale With curtises great store and his cap up before being schoold but a little with a &c.

The old man whose tounge waggs faster then his teeth (for old age by nature doth drivel and draile) Will frigg and fling like a dogg in a string if he warme his cold blood with a &c.

And the good old Clarke whose sight waxeth darke and ever he thinks the print is too small, He will see every letter and say service better if he glaze but his eyes with a &c.

The cheeke and the iawes to commend it have cause; for where they were late but even wanne and pale, They will get them a colour no crimson is fuller by the true dye and tincture of a &c.

Marke her enimies though they thinke themselves wise, how megre they looke with how low a wayle, How their cheekes doe fall without spr'its at all that alien their minds from a &c.

And now that the graines doe worke in my braynes, me thinks I were able to give by retale Commodities store a dozen and more that flow to mankinde from a pot &c.

The Muses would muse any should it misuse. For it makes them to sing like a Nightingale, With a lofty trime note having washed their throate with the Caballine spring of a &c.

And the Musician of any condition it will make him to reach to the top of his scale, It will cleare his pipes and moysten his lights if he drinke alternatim a &c.

The Poet divine that cannot reach wine, because that his mony doth many times faile, Will hit on the veines to make a good streigne if he be but inspired with a &c.

For ballads Elderton never had peere how went his wit in them with how merry a gale? And with all his sailes up, had he been at the cup and washed his beard with a &c.

And the power of it shewes no whit lesse in prose, it will fill ones phrase and set forth his tale; Fill him but a bowle it will make his tongue troule, for flowing speech flowes from a &c.

And Master Philosopher if he drink his part, will not trifle his time in the huske or the shale, But goe to the kernell by the depth of his art to be found in the bottome of a &c.

Give a scholar of Oxford a pot of sixteens and put him to prove that an Ape hath a tayle, And sixteen times better his wit will be seene if you fetch him from Botley a &c.

Thus it helps speech and wit, and it hurts not a whit, but rather doth further the vertues morale: Then thinke it not much if a little I touch the good morall parts of a &c.

To the church and religion it is a good freind, or else our forefathers their wisdome did faile, That at every mile next to the church stile, set a consecrate house to a &c.

But now as they say beere bears all away, the more is the pitty if right might prevaile; For with this same beere came up heresies here, the old Catholike drinke is a &c.

The Churches much owe as we all doe knowe, for when they be dropping and ready to fall; By a Whitson or a Church ale up againe they shall goe and owe their repayring to a &c.

Truth will doe it right, it bringeth truth to light, and many bad matters it helpes to reveile, For they that will drinke will speake what they thinke; Tom tell troth lies hid in a &c.

It is Iustices freind, she will it commend, For all is here served by measure and tale, Now, true tale and good measure, are Iustices treasure and much to the praise of a &c.

And next I alledge it is fortitudes edge, for a very cow-heard that shrinkes like a snaile, Will sweare and will swagger and out goes his dagger, ef A be but arm'd with a &c

Yea Ale hath her Knights and Squiers of degree that never wore corslet nor yet shirt of maile, But have fought their fights all twixt the pot and the wall when once they were dubbed with a &c.

And (sure) it will make a man suddenly wise yer while was scarse able to tell a right tale, It will open his jaw he will tell you the law as made a right Preacher of a &c.

Or he that will make a bargaine to gaine in buying or setting his goods forth to sale, Must not plod in the mire but sit by the fire and seale up his match with a &c.

But for sobernes needs must I confesse the matter goes hard and few do prevaile Not to goe to deep but temper to keepe such is the attractive of a &c.

But here's an amends which will make all freinds and ever doth tend to the best availe, If you take it too deep it will make you but sleepe, so comes no great hurt o•• a &c,

If reeling they happen to fall to the ground, the fall is not great they may hold by the raile, If into the water they cannot be drownd, for that gift is given to a &c.

If drinking about they chance to fall out feare not the alarame, though flesh be but fraile, It will prove but some blowes or at most a bloody nose and freinds againe straight with a &c.

And Phisick will favour Ale as it is bound and be against beere both tooth and nayle, They send up and down all over the Town to get for their Patients a &c.

Their Aleberries caudles and possets each one and sillabubs made at the milking pale, Although they be many beere comes not in any but all are compos'd with a &c.

And in very deed, the hop's but a weede brought ore against law and here set to sale; Would the law were renew'd and no more beere brew'd, but all good men betake them to a &c.

The law, that, will take it under her wing for at every law day or moote of the hale One is sworne to serve our Soveraigne the King in the ancient office of a Conner of Ale

There's never a Lord of Mannour or of Town by strand or by land by hill or by dale, But thinke it a franchise and flower of the Crowne to hold the assise of a &c.

And though their lies writs from the Court Paramount to stay the proceeding of the Court Paravaile, Law favours it so you may come you may go, there lyes no prohibition to a &c

They talke much of state both earely and late, but if Gascoigne and Spaine their wine should but faile, No remedy then with us Englishmen but the State it must stand by a &c.

And they that sit by it are good men and quiet, no dangerous plotters in the common-weale Of treason or murder, for they never go further then to call for and pay for a &c.

To the praise of Cambivius that good Brittish King that devised for his nation (by the Welshmens tale) Seventeen hundred yeares before Christ did spring the happy invention of a &c.

But he was a Paynim and Ale then was rife, yet after Christ came and bid us all haile; St. David tid never trinke Peere in her life put all Cwwrwwhibley a &c.

The North they will praise it and praise it with passion where every River gives name to a Dale; There are yet men living that are of tho'ld fashion no Nectar they know but a &c.

The Picts and the Scots for Ale were at lots, so high was the skill and so kept under seale; The Picts were undone slaine each mothers sonne for not teaching the Scots to make Hetheraeale

But hither or thither it skills not much whether, for drinke must be had, men live not by ke••le Nor by Haverhannocks nor by Haveriannocks; the thing the Scots live by is a &c.

Now if you will say it J will not deny it, that many a man it brings to his bale Yet what fairer end can one wish to his freind then to dye by the dart of a &c.

Yet let not the innocent beare any blame, it is their own doing to breake ore the pale, And neither the malt nor the good wife in fault if any be potted with a &c.

They tell of whom it kills, but say not a word how many a man liveth both sound and whole, Though he drinke no beere any day in the yeare, by the Radicall humour of a &c.

But to speake of killing that am J not willing, for that in a manner were but to raile; But Beere hath its name cause it brings to the beere, therefore well fare say J to a &c.

Too many I wis with their death proved this, and therefore if ancient records do not faile He that first brew'd the hop was rewarded with a rope and found his beere far more bitter then Ale.

O Ale ab alendo thou liquor of life that I had but a mouth as bigg as a Whale; For mine is too little to touch the least tittle that belongs to the praise of a &c.

Thus J trow some Vertues I have marked you out and never a vice in all this long trayle; But that after the pot there commeth a shot and thats th'only blot of a &c.

With that my freind said that blot will I beare you have done very well it is time to stricke sale; Weel have six pots more though J dye on the score to make all this good of a pot of good Ale.

FINIS.