A dyalogue bitwene the playntife and the defendaunt. Compyled by Wylliam Caluerley, whyles he was prisoner in the towre of London Calverley, William. This text is an enriched version of the TCP digital transcription A17594 of text S104869 in the English Short Title Catalog (STC 4370). Textual changes and metadata enrichments aim at making the text more computationally tractable, easier to read, and suitable for network-based collaborative curation by amateur and professional end users from many walks of life. The text has been tokenized and linguistically annotated with MorphAdorner. The annotation includes standard spellings that support the display of a text in a standardized format that preserves archaic forms ('loveth', 'seekest'). Textual changes aim at restoring the text the author or stationer meant to publish. This text has not been fully proofread Approx. 36 KB of XML-encoded text transcribed from 14 1-bit group-IV TIFF page images. EarlyPrint Project Evanston,IL, Notre Dame, IN, St. Louis, MO 2018 A17594 STC 4370 ESTC S104869 99840600 99840600 5121 2240897006

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Early English books online. (EEBO-TCP ; phase 1, no. A17594) Transcribed from: (Early English Books Online ; image set 5121) Images scanned from microfilm: (Early English books, 1475-1640 ; 132:09) A dyalogue bitwene the playntife and the defendaunt. Compyled by Wylliam Caluerley, whyles he was prisoner in the towre of London Calverley, William. [28] p. : ill. By Thomas Godfray, [Printed at London : [1535?]] In verse. Place of publication and printer's name from colophon; publication date conjectured by STC. Signatures: A⁴ B⁶ C⁴. Reproduction of the original in the Henry E. Huntington Library and Art Gallery. eng eebo A dyalogue bitwene the playntife and the defendaunt. Compyled by Wylliam Caluerley, whyles he was prisoner in the towre of London. Calverley, William 1535 28 5280 7 0 0 0 0 0 13.26 C The rate of 13.26 defects per 10,000 words puts this text in the C category of texts with between 10 and 35 defects per 10,000 words. 2006-06 Assigned for keying and markup 2006-07 Keyed and coded from ProQuest page images 2007-05 Sampled and proofread 2007-05 Text and markup reviewed and edited 2008-02 Batch review (QC) and XML conversion

A dyalogue bitwene the playntife and the Defendaunt .

Compyled by Wylliam Caluerley / whyles he was prisoner in the towre of London .

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depiction of coronation

To the kynges highnesse . O Exellent prince of my lyfe chefe patron Medicyn to sycke men in their gret distresse To all nedy : both shelde and protection Refuge to wretches their dommage to redresse Men that ar halfe deed / restoring to quickenesse Sith your grace of god was chosen to be so good O exellent prince forgyue my offencesse In t honour of god that bought you with his blode Blacke is my wede / of complaynte & mourning As a man cast from all felycite Lyke one of a funerall / bedewed with wepynge Clad in the mantell of frowarde aduersyte Trymblyng and quakinge / of my lyfe no surete But if I drinke of your most mercyfull flode Than shall I neuer offende / by your soueraynte But saue that which god bought with his preciouse blode O myrrour of lyght / suffre nat to perisshe Thy poore subiecte : but to his prayer enclyne Whiche herafter thy lawes shall cherisshe And kepe them as most holly and diuyne Sith your grace hath ben treacle & chef medicyn To other offendours which in myschef stode Pardon me Salomon / I wyll obey thy doctryne And saue the which god bought with his precious blod And for my parte / of one hert abidyng Voyde of chaunge / and all mutabilyte I do present this boke / with hande shakyng Of hole affection / knelyng on my kne Desyring the lorde / whiche is persons thre By whose magnifycence we receyue all fode That by your grace I may haue lybertye And saue the which god bought with his p̄ci ▪ blode For all my purpose combyned in to one Of whiche this boke shall make mencioun Is to voyde yll wede / and to take the good corne As reason hath taught me by discretioune Puttyng no trust in the whele of fortune But in this dialogue comprehend that persons good By grace and vertu may here contune And saue the which god bought with his precious blode Go forth lytle boke for fere tremblynge Pray the prince to haue on the pytie Voyde of all picture / or of any connynge To compyle any curyouse ditie Causynge thy prince to take on the mercy Pray god graunt his grace that died on the rode To preserue his hye noblenes and magnanimite And to be partaker of Christes precious blode . Thus endeth the supplication
/ and here foloweth the Dialogue betwene the Playntyf and defendant . ❧ The Playntyfe AS I sat musyng / callyng to remembrannce And consydered in myn owne fantasy The vnsure trust of worldly varyaunce Of men and women / the chaunge and the folly Thought in my mynde to compyle some ditye Lyke one troubled in herte with heuynesse No socour fyndinge / me for to redresse . Blamyng fortune / why she stode nat certayne But with her double whele brought men in doute Causynge me for to suffre moche payne Reportynge howe she had cast me out From her fauour / as she tourned about Taking a wronge turne / where I thought me sure By her double meanes / and my harde auenture Sayenge lady : thou settest by me no pryce For by thy froward and furiouse vyolence Thou hast tourned thy whele / & visage of malyce Bringynge me clene from all credence Hauynge nothynge to make resystence Thus by the fortune / and thy mutabilyte Sole adiect● / and cast in to pouerte What haue I offended thou art so contrarious Whiche hath caused me in mischefe to fall Thus to be tourmented in thy syege perilouse My swete sugre is tempered with gall Wherfore to the / I reply my hurtes all But this as I wrote / I herde a voyce crye Peace I saye / thou begynnest for to lye Deffendant SOthly I parceyue well thy condicion Thou dost as vnthriftꝭ / almost euery chōe Wyll them excuse / without exception And blame fortune / as their chef fone Sayenge / it is in her power alone The to rule / as a lady of desteny Whiche is a secte of playne Idolatry Nature hath taught the / the wronge is to excuse Vnder a curtayne / your falshed to hyde Lytell good corne amonges your chaf to vse On your fautes you lyst nat to abyde The gaule touched / all that you set a syde Sowynge roses fresshe / the nettles you let passe Vnder fortune to couer your trespasse And if you maye tell your owne tale Howe that all came by fortunes whele Lockinge your falsnesse faste in a male Shewynge of your vyces but a small percele Is brickle glasse / sheweth brighter than stele Though vpon fortune you wolde set your pretence He is a fole that gyueth to you credence Playntyffe THus was I pensyf / the water from my eye For fere spronge forth / & made pale my vi sage Sore a basshed I beynge solytary Shulde here a voyce / and se no ymage It parted atwayne / both colour and courage But by the voyce / I thought by nature That it shulde be some mortall creature . I sat full styll and marked what it sayde Ferefull of chere / sad in countenaunce Thinkinge to answere / sone at abrayde And to that sayenge gaue dilygent attendaunce Thus than I sayde with good remembraunce If thou wylt argue / agaynst fortunes strength It wyl besene vpon the at the length Fortune hath lyfte many men alofte To hye astate and worldely dignyte Another sorte she hath gryped full vnsofte And cast them downe in to great aduersyte By other proued / nowe verifyed in me Which is cast downe into stronge prison There to abyde of the lawe correction Deffendant GOod reason that / for lawes first was founde Insondry wyse and busy occupacyon Vertu to cherisshe / vyces to confounde Men chosen / of power and good entencyon Which of offendours shulde se done executyon So that the vertuouse shulde be reserued And haue promosyons / such as they deserued . Dedalus was the fyrst that prisons wrought Full of ingyns / called Laborinthus All offenders thyder to be brought A croked place / to gete forthe daungerous For suche as to good lawes were contrarious And Tarquinus / as I written fynde Founde fyrst shaccles men for to bynde These were ordayned vertue to preferre And to maintayne trewe labour and busynesse Besydes that / to punisshe such as shulde erre Whiche haue no ioye but vpon Idlenesse And for other in their labours retchelesse Purposynge to punisshe Sardanapall Whiche of mischeues / may be reconed principall Playntyffe OF Sardanapall I neuer had acqueyntesse I euer loued to a voide his company Knowynge him to be vicyouse Idlenesse Which is distruction / to all maner of degre Therfore thou offendest to atwyte me With him whom I neuer yet loued Nor yet them / which him in houshold cherisshed And where thou sayst that prisons ordeyned be Offendours to chastyce / to mayntayne the right For the welfare of euery comynaltye To preferre vertue to his clere lyght That to denaye it were nat in my myght But one thynge wolde I demaunde of the Whether suche robbe nat a hole comynaltye That hath shepe in pastures goynge Whiche grounde before this hath be put to tyllage Hauyng thousandes / his poore neybour lackinge He and his shepherdes alone in a vyllage Thus getteth his goodes / by extortion & pyllage If a man parte of his goodes withdrawe Shal he make answere therfore by goddes lawe Deffendant NAy nat so I say / it is all otherwyse I may nat suffre you to go there amonge Lest that you wolde perilouse thynges deuyse Under a colour / to occupie you with wrong What shuld I lenger drawe the mater a long Of goddes lawes thou art nat executor Nor of thy souerayns / no good reformator . God gaue a lawe / and with this a precept That no man shuld his neyghbours good desyre Thou hast nat the offyce them to corecte But with god thou ronnest in great Ire . But what thou meanest / now sone I can conspire Thou thynkest to make a cloke for the rayne . It wyll nat be / for it is all in vayne . Of suche conspiracy began fyrst robbers Theues by hye wayes / extorcion with violence Murder / slaughter / and couert brybers Discension / grudgyng / and disobedience Now of thy tale to touche thy pretence It is nat fortune that causeth their yll chaunce But them / selues for lacke of good gouernaunce . Playntyffe Nat fortune ? yes / and that shall well be sene For by her euer / men do possesse treasures Fallen hath to ruyn both kinge and quene And raysed agayne by her onely socours Exalted she hath / many great conquerours And to suche as she wolde natse Hath cast them downe in great aduersyte Loke who she enbraseth & holdeth in her chaine Worldely people / and their goodes transitory And ryche marchauntes vnder her demeane To knighthod she gyueth conquest and victory She gyueth to other worldely prosperyte Loke who her fauour hath recured In this lyfe / of welth they be assured . These bysshops which be of lowe birth borne And spirituall prelates in Rome towne She hath them exalted other beforne But nowe a lyttell she hath brought them downe Thus whan she lyst her selfe to frowne She spareth neither manhod nor kynred For of all persons she wyll be dred Deffendant SUche be wretches / and to god vnkynde That putteth them vnder her subiection From goddes preceptes makyng them selfe blynde Submittynge them to fortune / aboue good reason And as touching the prelates that ar brought downe Fortune pulled them nat from that place It is the scorge of god / for that they lacked grace . The fall of one / shulde be a clere lyght To teache the other what they shulde eschewe It is god that punissheth with his myght And tryeth out the false from the trewe Who that is here punisshed for his offence dewe Happy may be / if he say with good entent Welcom from god / the scourge of chastysement O what vnkinde people shuld them betake And put their wylles vnto fortunes cure Of god aboue the power to forsake And with fortune all thinge wyll assure Thinking alwaye by her to endure Lyke as she were of desteny a goddesse That could bringe man to welth or wretchednesse Playntyffe THy wordes stronge I may nat wel debar Thy name I desyre before that I do spek I thinke thou hast ben some man of war Thy wynde causeth my herte to breke Out from my eyen the water doth out leke Thinkige I haue begonne / agaynst one to reply Which by his strength wyll haue the mastry For lyke as ronde droppes of the south rayne Which that discende / and fall from a lofte On stones harde / at the eye as it is sayne Peerseth the hardnesse / with their fallynge ofte Albert in toucheng / the water is but softe The persyng causeth by force no puisaunce But by fallyng / the longe contynuaunce So semblaby of right I dare reherce Thy wordes marked with full and good entent A hole in to my herte doth perce For I fere lest that I might be shent And by my excusyng ronne in a contempt More worthy for that to be punissheable Than by the faute I shulde haue ben culpable Deffendant IN warres trewly there haue I ben ofte But my nature is alwaye to make pease Without me most thinges do proue nought Howe so euer it be / by hardnesse or ease Loke who that loueth me nat to please Here he can nat longe be in tune Although he thinke to mary with fortune I haue me so vsed / that thorow my noblenes Clerkes in lerninge / which clerely can concerne Doughter of god / lady / and princes Reason they call me / good folke to gouerne Atwene good and euyll / iustly to decerne I haue departed playnly to conclude The lyfe of man / from the lyfe of beestes rude . With me I conserue / both vertue and mesure Consyderinge thinges / what shal be fall Taking no enterprice : but with me descrecion sure And vpon prudence / founde my workes all Than to counsell / Attemperaunce I do call Warely prouydinge / in my selfe within The ende of thinges / before that I begynne . Playntyffe . HElas / helas / to write in wordes fewe Lenger to lyue / I haue no fantasye For where shulde I my face out shewe Syth agaynste reason / I haue helde champerty Nowe dare I appere in to no company For to my body / deth I haue prouyded Leuing reason & vertu / which shuld me haue gided Nowe this mater troubleth my memory Better to dye than to lyue in shame For my offences thus stande I in ieoperdy Fro my mortall body / gone is my name Youth and fraylnesse was moche to blame Wherfore better it were from this lyfe disceuer Than with slaunderouse fame / for to lyue euer . Some tonges there be venemouse of nature Whan they perceyue a man from state meued With their wylles do their busy cure By yll reporte / to make men more greued There is no poyson so well expert and preued Therfore now hert / why brekest thou nat asonder Of this worlde to rydde the from this wonder . Deffendant NAt so / for I can breke a castell down And bylde it after more fresshe to the syght Exyle a man from dyuers region And him reuoke whan I lyst by ryght Thus may I do by my power and myght So that thou wylt obeye to me reason I shall the teche / this trouble to ouercom A thefe may robbe a man of his richesse And by some meane make restitution Another may by myght oppresse The pore man from his possession Yet after to him make satisfaction Be it with lyfe or elles with deth . Cor contritum et humiliatum deus non dispiciet . Thus I nowe begining / derked with ignorance My wyt is dull this thynge to discerne Quenched a● the torches of parceueraunce Clene extincte the lyght of my lanterne Lackynge lernynge my style to gouerne Drede and vnconnynge maketh a batayle With dulnesse of wyt / to hynder my trauayle Supporte haue I none my dulnes to guyde Pouerte hath written my name in his boke Dispere standeth also by my syde Which paleth my chere / and astonyeth my loke Thus I hotte / drye / and wery / fyndeth no bo●e Howe I shulde to reason my promyse fulfyll Standyng waueringe betwene good and yll Deffendant DIspayre / I say nay / that is contrary It is Idlenesse here in thys present lyfe Which hath drawen many from their lybrary And wyll nat suffre them to be contemplatyfe For her condicion is to holde stryfe With euery vertuouse occupacion Which men shulde voyde / by wysedom & reason Remembre thy busynesse / loke thou take hede Procede with thy worke thou hast take in hande Grace shall crosse thy sayle with good spede And kepe thy shyp from neglygences sande Good counsell shall brynge thy shyp to lande And hope shall brynge vnto the socour Trustyng some man shall acquyte thy labour I meane as thus / the shyppe of thy traueyle Which hath passed the great dangerouse seuen Cast nat anker / tyll thou hast good riuale Let no tempest / thunder / nor leuyn Nor no wyndes of the cloudy heuyn Cause idlenesse to lay thy pyllow / euen nor morow Voyde her / and let her go with sorowe Playntyffe THis writyng my letter / I wrapped all in drede In my right hande / my penne begineth to quake And for fere / my hert is lyke to blede Yet must I forth / and this vndertake For to Reason promyse dyd I make The teres distillynge fro myne eyes brinke At this begynnyng I tempre with my inke But hope and trust putteth away dispayre In to my mynde / of newe I gan redresse To make the wether bright and fayre Reasons promyse / with his bountuous largenesse Brought in to my herte so moche gladnesse That without any maner of delay As is this tenour / this fyrst I gan say . CReatures all / in your fyrst prouydence Be right well ware / any thyng to attame Whiche vnto god shulde be offence For if ye do the ende of it is shame And in this worlde appalled is your name But you repente / god of his iustyce your vicious lyueng vnwarely wyll chastyce Except you folowe vertue with dilygence Forsaking vice / the mother of Idlenesse your ende you may se / by other experience Which is nought / but misery and wretchednesse Forsake wronge / and folowe rightwisenesse Or elles of one thinge be you sure God wyll nat suffre you longe to endure Vnto false prophetes gyue no credence Folowyng mans lerninge / and their tradicion But to goddes preceptes with all reuerence Put thy mynde and hole entencyon Forsake nat god for all their punission For they be wolues wrapped in a lammes skinne Honey without / and poyson within The wyly wolues that casteth to deuour The sely lammes / which can no defence Nor no helpe / them for to socoure So feble they ar to make resystence Whiche denyeth trewth / by false apparence What wonder is it / the fraude nat conceyued Though such lammes vnwarely be deceyued Lammes they ar i she wyng / shadowed with mekenesse Cruell as tygers / who doth them offence Of great holynes pretendynge a lykenesse But wo ( alas ) what harme doth apparence What domage doth countrefayt innocence Vnder a mantell of false simplicite Very hipocrites full of crueltie Remember Rome / cal now vnto thy mynde The dayes ar passed of thy felicyte Thy great conquestes are lefte behynde To lyght is come all thy iniquite Thy decrees sent forth in to euery countre Suche as agreed nat with Christes scripture Ar clene extyncke / no lenger may endure From Theest to the Weest thy lybertꝭ dyd attayn Aboue all power most excellent and royall But now truth brought out / so euident and plain Hath hyndred fore thy seate imperiall In peoples hertes to remayne perpetuall Your hye prydes are now defaced Your bulles and pardons / almoste out raced . Kynges and princes were to the tryputary Of all welth / so gret was your flode Vntyll from god / so fare you dyd vary That all creatures / knowynge yl from good Perceyued you bare two faces in one hood Than by good reason sone they prouyded From your burdens / for to be deuyded O Rome / Rome / loke all thy olde abusion Of thy Ceremonies / and false disgysynge Laye them asyde / and now inconclusion Cry god mercy / thy trespas repentyng Trust he wyll nat at length refuse thy askyng The to receyue to worke in his vyne And to haue asmoche / as he that cam at prime . Vnto the kyng with faythfull obeysaunce Towardes his grace / shewe thy humilyte Agaynst him nor his / holde no varyaunce But fyght for him / in euery countre Desyre to se him in ioye and felycite Kepe his preceptes / as thy lorde and souerayne Euer as pleasure / thinking them no payne . Thy obeysaunce playnly / at a worde By god thou arte commaunded to owe in souerente Vnto thy kynge / thy gouernour & thy lorde In payne of dedly synne / so he commaundeth the Both to him / and to such as he agre Of his people to take the gouernaunce Them to folowe with their good ordinaunce Consyder thou / it is a hertely reioysinge To serue a prince / that well doth aduertyse Of his seruantes the faithfull iust meanynge And wyll consyder to gwerdon their seruyce Which at a nede wyll them nat despyce But from all danger that shulde them noye or greue Be euer redy to helpe them and releue . As in this lande / I dare affirme a thyng Henry the eight / full myghty of puisaunce Of England and Fraunce / our most noble king Defensor of the faith / hauig Irelande in gouernance To al his subiectes / greatest ioye & pleasance By whose noble polycie / and also discecyon Conserued is this most noble regyon Duringe his tyme / longe by his prudence Pease and quiete / he sustayneth by right That nat withstanding his noble prouydence In this worlde lyueth nat a better knight Eyed as Argus / with reason and foresyth And in good lerninge / I dare of him tell Of his predecessours / the most he doth excell This with his prudence / and his manhede Trewth he sustayneth / fauour settyng a syde To Christes scripture / a mayntenour with dede That in this lande / false ꝓphetes dare nat byde A very supporter / vpholder / and also guyde Of Christes churche defence / & noble champion To chastyce all tho / that be Christes fone Obseruinge alwayes / the testament of Jesu Studyenge euer to haue the trewe intellygence Gyuenge his subiectes the lyght of vertue Ipocrisy excluding vnder false apparence Thus of the trewth he hath experience Knowing him selfe / in many sondry wyse Where they trespace / their errour to chastyce Reuolue how our souerayne / a mirrour of light Transcendeth all other / by vertuouse exellence Eschewinge all visyons / sekinge the right By his noble descrecyon / & naturall prouydence Temperinge his nature / by mercy & clemence Kepynge dangers from his subiectis in all thing As appertayneth to a most noble kynge Thinges longe passed / he kepeth in remembrance Conseruing all thinges / with honour in presence For thinges to come / maketh good ordinaunce Folowing the traces of vertuouse contynence Agaynst rayned myracles makynge resistence By the great vertue / and magnanimyte Whiche is apropred to his roiall maiestie Also his manhode / sheweth him lyke a kyng From other princes by maner of apparence Of goodly stature as euer was raignyng Spoken longe and farre of men / from his presence I knowe nat whether with dew reuerence The region shuld be happyer / that hath such a gouernour Or els by god chosyn / his grace to the honor About him he hath for our great auayle Dayly and hourly in his presence Prudent and valyaunt to be of his counsayle Suche of this worlde as hath most experience Betwene good and euyll knowyng the difference Tha giuyng Res publica / to vs his subiectes With reuerent fere & loue / obeyng his preceptes . What hert so indurate / shuld nat loue such one Which so nobly conserueth his royall dygnite Although he were made of the Adamant stone Yet wolde it gyue / for he with prosperyte Is nat gladder / nor for no aduersyte Changeth no countinance / his courage to renew Both to god and man / yeldyng that is dewe . Thus a man that perfyte is and stable As scripture with good reason doth preue Nothing there is so fayre nor agreable Than fynally this viciouse lyfe to leaue On very god rightfully to be leue Him to loue and worship aboue all thynge And next to him / thy most redouted kynge Olde examples of men that hath fall If they with grace brought them to mynde Myght be a myrrour to creatures all Howe they in vertue shal remedies fynde To eschew vyces / of suche as were made blynde Fro sodayn fallynge them selues to preserue Longe to contune / and thanke of god deserue But suche as lyst nat corrected to be By example of other for vicyouse gouernaunce Other of him shall the correction se Bicause they shulde mende their misgouernance Say nat that it is by fortunes variaunce Colourynge such gyltes / which they do vse Their demerytes by collour so to excuse Who foloweth vertu longest shall perceuer Be it in riches or elles in pouerty Lyght of trouth / his clerenes kepynge euer Against the assautes of longe prosperite Make youth and vertu togyther to agre For whan a man from vertu doth declyne Harde it is / if he make a good fyne Vertue conserueth all men in their glory And here confirmeth their habitations Where vyces putteth their price out of memory For their trespases / and also transgressyons Than are they taken and cast in prisons Sone after / for their great punicyon Brought to their ende / by iust executyon Lokinge about them / there shall they se Their frendes / and other for dolour sobbynge With their handes wringyng thy sore aduersyte Some wondering / some bedewed with wepyng Of strangers a noyce / and a hidyouse cryenge Thus is their ende / with shamfull rumure Where vertue lacketh / nothing maye endure Loke / who in this worlde doth most desyre By wronge tytle / his state to magnify By an etyke of couetouse / hotter than fyre Other mennes goodes / as his owne to occupy As I haue red / and sene with myne eye Though it hath lasted for a small tyme The ende of it hath turned to ruyne Marke in your mynde / who euer hath vsed To oppresse trewth : by power and tyranny And rightwysenesse / by wyll hath refused Supportynge him ●elfe / by extortion & robbery Auoydyng reason / folowinge sensualyte Coniecter euer / if their fyne and prefe Were nat alwaye / to dye . at a mischefe To this I knowe / no man can make descorde For well it is proued / all such wyll come to nought Thousandes of examples I coulde bring to recorde And mo I knowe / if they were out sought It shall nat nede / for all men in their thought Knoweth ill gotten / worse euerspent yet for their extortion / they shall be shent Besydes that / such as loueth idelnesse Owinge to god / neither loue nor drede Couetouse people / that men doth oppresse And such as wyll do nothinge / but for mede As desemblers cladde in double wede Who sercheth well / nought is the ende yet god suffreth longe / to haue them to amende From yll counsayle / fast loke thou flee For that hath brought many to mischaunce Shedynge honey first / stingyng after as the be Though the honey be swete / the stinge is greuance So shall be the ende / who foloweth the chaunce That he shall curse the tyme / and also repent That euer with their hony / he toke any talent Suche maye be called / the deuyls taberers With froward soundes / the eares to fulfyll Or of Cures the perilous buttelers Which gall with their honney / downe distyll Whose drinkes be both amorous and yll And all clerkes well deuyse conne Worse than the drinke of Cerenes tonne Therfore put lyfe neuer in a venture But for matters iust / and also trewe Preue them by reason that they stande sure Knowe well the grownde / of mater olde or newe The best than take / and the worst eschew After thy degre / make thy cost and spendynge That in a meane / thou make a good endynge Whan Dedalus taught his sonne for to flye He bad him first of hye discretyon From Phebus hete / to kepe his wynges fre And from Neptunus colde congelacion Meanyng hereby / for shorte conclusyon That who that lyst with ioye his state assure In a good meane men shulde lengest endure With great plenty / men be nat best assured After their lust alway to lyue in ease And though the men great treasure hath recured With their riches they fele many a disease Gret ꝑsonagꝭ hath nat alwai thingꝭ them to please Therfore as stories dyuers doth expresse Hartely is ioye / at wene pouertie and richese In the erth here / the greatest felicite For the hertes ease / and richest possessyon Is with suffysaunce content for to be Of worldly trouble to eschew the occasyon Meuyng no quarelles / that shulde cause discension Nor desyre nothinge / harde to recure For here is lyttell in this worlde sure . Morall Seneck / recordeth by writynge Richest of thinges / is a meane from pouerte Euer of one chere / voyde of all grudgynge Both in ioye / and also aduersyte Thorowe this worlde to haue their lyberte And these Greke wordes which I written fynde Alwayes remembre and bere them in thy mynde Diogynes was content in his lytell tunne His conquest was more souerayne of degre Than Alexander / for al his renowme For he conquered his sensualyte Makinge him subiecte to reason of dewtie And clerke of his kechen he made attemperaunce Which of his body had the hole gouernaunce Examples we haue ynough vs to suffyce In bokes founde . xx . thousande and mo To exemplyfy folke that ben wyse How this worlde is a thorow fare full of wo Tossed and tumbled with vanytes to and fro Deth is annexed to vs by successyon For Adams offence to vs conueyde downe O wordely folke aduertyce with good entent What vengeaunce / and what punissyon God shall take in his iugement For our trespaces / and also transgressyon Which breketh his preceptes against all reason Forgettynge howe with his preciouse blode Vs to saue / he dyed on the rode . Here for oure sakes / and oure redemption Thorowe hande and fote nayled to a tre Soffred payne / and cruell passyon Nothinge asking of high nor lowe degre Recompensed ayenwarde for to be But that we shulde set / all hole our ententes To fulfyll all his commaundementes . Thus endeth the Dialogue of the Playntyf and the defendaunte .

Printed at London by Thomas Godfray .

Cum priuilegio Regali .