The payne and sorowe of euyll maryage

The payne and sorowe of euyll maryage ,

TAke hede and lerne thou lytell chylde and se That tyme passed wyl not agayne retourne And in thy youthe vnto vertues vse the Lette in thy brest no maner vyce soiourne That in thyne aege thou haue no cause to mourne For tyme lost nor for defaute of wytte Thynke on this lesson / and in thy mynde it shytte Glorye vnto god / louynge and benyson To Peter and Iohan and also to Laurence Whiche haue me take vnder proteccyon From the deluge of mortall pestylence And from the tempest of deedly vyolence And me preserue that I fall not in the rage Vnder the bonde and yocke of maryage I was in purpose to haue taken a wyfe And for to haue wedded without auysednes A full fayre mayde with her to lede my lyfe whome that I loued of hasty wylfulnes with other fooles to haue lyued in dystresse As some gaue me counseyle & began me to constrayne To haue be partable of theyr woofull payne They laye vpon me and hasted me full sore And gaue me counseyle for to haue be bounde And began to prayse eche daye more and more The woofull lyfe in whiche they dyd habounde And were besy my gladnes to confounde Themselfe reioysynge bothe at euen and morowe To haue a felowe to lyue with them in sorowe But of his grace god hath me preserued By the wyse counseyle of these aungelles thre From hell gates / they haue my lyfe conserued In tyme of warre whan louers lusty And bryght phebus was fresshest vnto se In gemynys the lusty and glad season whan to wedde caught fyrst occasyon My ioye was sette in especyall To haue wedded one excellent in fayrnes And thrugh her beaute haue made my selfe thrall Vnder the yocke of euerlastynge dystresse But god alonely of his hygh goodnes Hath by an aungell as ye haue herde me tell Stopped my passage / from that peryllous hell Amonge these aungelles that were in nombre thre There appered one out of the southe whiche spake fyrst of all to the trynyte All of one sentence the mater is full couthe And he was called Iohan with the golden mouthe whiche concluded by sentence full notable wyues of custome ben gladly varyable After this Iohan the story sayth also In confyrmacyon of theyr fragylyte How that Peter called acorbylio Affermeth playnly how that wyues be Dyuerse of herte full of duplycyte Maysterfull hasty and eke proude Crabbed of langage whan they lyst crye aloude Who taketh a wyfe receyueth a greate charge In whiche he is full lyke to haue a fall with tempest tossed as is a besy barge There he was free he maketh hymselfe thrall wyues of porte ben full Imperyall Husbandes dare not theyr lustes gaynsaye But louely please and mekely them obaye The husbandes euer abydeth in trauayle One labour passed there cometh another newe And euery daye she begynneth a batayle And in complaynynge chaungeth chere and hewe Vnder suche falsues she fayneth to be true She maketh hym rude as is a dull asse Out of whose daunger impossyble is to passe Thus wedlocke is an endlesse penaunce Husbandes knowe that haue experyence A martyrdom and a contynuaunce In sorowe euerlastynge a deedly vyolence And this of wyues is gladly the sentence Vpon theyr husbandes whan they lyst to be bolde How they alone gouerneth the housholde And yf her husbande happen for to thryue She sayth it is her prudent purueyaunce If they go abacke ayenwarde and vnthryue She sayth it is his mysgouernaunce He bereth the blame of all suche ordynaunce And yf they be poore and fall in dystresse She sayth it is his foly and lewdnesse And yf so be he be no werkman good It may well happe he shall haue an horne A large bone to stuffe with his hood A mowe behynde and fayned chere beforne And yf it fall that theyr good be lorne By auenture eyther at euen or morowe The sely husbande shall haue all the sorowe An husbande hath greate cause to care For wyfe / for chylde / for stuffe and meyne And yf ought lacke she wyll bothe swere and stare He is a wastour and shall neuer the And Salomon sayth there be thynges thre Shrewde wyues / rayne / and smokes blake Make husbandes ofte theyr houses to forsake Wyues be beestes very vnchaungeable In theyr desyres whiche may not staunched be Lyke a swalowe whiche is insacyable Peryllous caryage in the trouble see A wawe calme full of aduersyte whose blandysshynge endeth with myschaunce Called Cyrenes euer full of varyaunce They them reioyce to se and to be sene And for to seke sondrye pylgrymages At greate gaderynges to walke on the grene And on scaffoldes to sytte on hygh stages If they be fayre to shewe theyr vysages And yf they be foule of loke or countenaunce They it amende with pleasynge dalyaunce And of profyte they take but lytell hede But loketh soure whan theyr husbandes ayleth ought And of good mete & drynke they wyll not fayle in dede what so euer it cost they care ryght nought Nor they care not how dere it be bought Rather than they sholde therof lacke or mysse They wolde leuer laye some pledge ywys It is trewe I tell you yonge men euerychone women be varyble and loue many wordes and stryfe who can not appease them lyghtly or anone Shall haue care and sorowe all his lyfe That woo the tyme that euer he toke a wyfe And wyll take thought and often muse How he myght fynde the maner his wyfe to refuse But that maner with trouth can not be founde Therfore be wyse or ye come in the snare Or er ye take the waye of that bounde For and ye come there your ioye is tourned vnto care And remedy is there none so may I fare But to take pacyens & thynke none other way aboute Than shall ye dye a martyr without ony doute Therfore you men that wedded be Do nothynge agaynst the pleasure of your wyfe Than shall you lyue the more meryly And often cause her to lyue withouten stryfe without thou arte vnhappy vnto an euyll lyfe Than yf she than wyll be no better Set her vpon a lelande and bydde the deuyll fet her Therfore thynke moche and saye nought And thanke god of his goodnesse And prece not for to knowe all her thought For than shalte thou not knowe as I gesse without it be of her owne gentylnesse And that is as moche as a man may put in his eye For yf she lyst of thy wordes she careth not a flye And to conclude shortly vpon reason To speke of wedlocke of fooles that be blente There is no greter grefe nor feller poyson Nor none so dredefull peryllous serpent As is a wyfe double of her entent Therfore let yonge men to eschewe sorowe and care withdrawe theyr fete or they come in the snare FINIS .