¶ The Book of the fair Genty●woman, that no man should put his trust, or confidence in: that is to say, Lady Fortune: flattering every man that coveteth to have all, and specially, them that trust in her, she deceiveth them at last. The Lady Fortune. ¶ The Prologue. IS often as I consider, these old noble cle●k●● Poetis, Orators, & Philosophers' sects thre● How wonderful they were, in all their works How eloquent, how inventive in every degree Half amazed I am, and as a d●ed tree stand still, over ●ude for to bring forth Any fruit or sentence, that is aught worth● ¶ nevertheless though rude I be, in all contryning Of mats, yet somewhat to make, I need not to care I see many a one occupied, in the same thing ●o unlearned men now a days, will not spare To write, to babble, their minds to declare Trowing themself, gay fantasies to draw when all their cunning is not worth a straw. ¶ Some in french chronicles, gladly doth presume Some in english, blindly wade and wander Another in latin bloweth forth a dark ●●me As wise as a great headed Ass of Al●●andr● Some in philosophy, like a gage●yng● gandy Begynn●th lustily the brows to set up And at the last concludeth, in the good ale cup● ¶ Finis Prologus. quoth. T. M. Fortune perverse Qui le monde versse Toult a ton desire jamais tu nas cease Plaine de finesse Et y prens pleasite● ¶ Par ●oy vennent ma●lx Et gu●●res mort●●lx Touls inconueniens Parmo●s et par vau●y Et aulx hospitalx Me●●ent tant de ●ens. FOrtune, O mighty & variable w●at rule thou ●laym●st, with thy ●ruel po●er Good folk● thou stroyest, and lovest repreuable ●hou mayst not warrant thy gyf●ꝭ for on● hour Fortun● unworthy men sets in honour Thorough fortune t●īnocent in woe & solow sh●i●heth The just man she spoileth, & the vn●ust enrycheth. ¶ Young men she killeth, & letteth old men live V●ryghtuously dividing, time and season That good ●en loseth, to wicked doth she give She hath no difference, ●ut judgeth all good reason inconstance, slipper, grayle, ●n● full of treason Ne●ther for ever cherys●●ynge, 〈…〉keth Nor for ever oppressing, whom s●e forsakes. ¶ Finis. ꝙ. T. M. ¶ The words of Fortune to the people. ꝙ. Tho. Mo. Mine high estate, power and authority If ye ne knew, enserche an● ye shall spy That richesse, worship, wealth, and dignity joy, rest, and peace, and all thing finally That any pleasure or profit may come by To man's comfort, aid and sustenannce 〈◊〉 all at my devise, and ordinance. ¶ Without my favour, there is no thing won ●any a matter have I brought at last To good conclusion, that fond was begun And many a purpose, bounden sure and fast ●●th wise ●rouysyon, I h●ue overcast ●●thout good h●ppe, there may no wit suffice Better is to be fortunate, than wise. And therefore hath there some men been or thi● ●y deadly fooes, and wr●ten many a book ●o my dispraise, and no other cause th●re i● ●ut for me ly●t, not friendly on th●m look ●hus like the fox they far, that once forsook ●he pleasant grapes, and 'gan for to desy● them because he ●ept & ●ept, & could not come by them, ¶ But let them write, their labo●● is in vain For well ye wots, mirth, honour and ●ychesse Better is than shame, penury and pain The needy writeth, that lyngeryth in distress without mine help, is ever comfortless A witty b●rden odious and loath To all the world●, and to himself both. ¶ But he that by my favour may ascen●● To mighty power, and excellent degree A common weal to govern, ●nd defend O in how blessed condition, standeth he Himself in honour and felicity And o●●r that, m●y further and increase An hol● region, in ioye●est and p●ace. ¶ Now● in this point, t●ere is no more to say Each man hath o● himself the governance Let every wight, than ●a●e his ow● way And he th●t out of poverty, and mischance life for to l●ue● and will himself enhance In wealth & richesse, come ●orth and wait on me And he that will be a beggar, let him be. ¶ To them that trusteth in Fortune. THou that art proud of honour shape or kin That helpest up this wretched worldis treasure Thy fingers shrined with gold/ thy tawny skin With fresh appareyll, garnished out of measure And weny●t to have fortune, always at thy pleasure Cast up thine eye, and l●●● how sliper chance Illudeth her men with change and variance. ¶ Sometime she looketh, as lovely fair & bright As goodly Venus, mother of cupyde She becketh and smileth upon every wight ●ut this feigned cheer, may not abide There cometh a cloud, and farewell all our pride Like any serpent, she beginneth to swell And looketh as fierce, as any fury of hell. ¶ Yet for all that, we brothle men are fain So wretched is our nature, and so blind As soon as fortune list, to laugh again With fair countenance, and deceitful mind To croutche and kneel, and gape after the wind Not one or twain, but thousands in a rout Like swarming bees, come flakering her about. ¶ Then as bait, she bringeth forth her aware Silver, gold, rich pearl, and precious stone On which, the mazed people gaze and stare And g●pe therfore● as ●o●ges for the bone Fortune at them laugheth, and in her throne Amid her treasurer and wavering ry●hesse Proudly she loveth, as Lady and Empresses ¶ Fast by her side doth weary labour stand Pale fere also and sorrow all be wept Dysdeyne● and hatred, on that other hand Eke r●stle● watch, f●o sleep with travail kep● His eyes drowsy, and looking as he slept Before her standeth Danger and envy flattery, deceit, mischief, and Tyrrannye● ¶ About her cometh, all the world to beg He asseth lond●●and he to pass would bring T●i● joy and that, and all not worth an egg He would in love prosper, above all thing He kneeleth down and would be made a king He forceth not● so he may money have Though all the world account him for a kna●● ¶ Lo t●us divers heddy●, divers wits Fortune alone, a● dyue●● 〈◊〉 th●y all Unstable here and there, among them flyttes And at adventure, down h●r gifts fall Catch who so may, she throw●th great and sin●● Not to all m●n, as cometh son or dew But for the most p●rte, all among● a few. ¶ And yet her brotell gifts, may not last He that she gave them, looketh proud and high She whirleth about, and plucketh away as fast And giveth them to an other, by and by And thus from man to man, continually She useth to give and take, and s●y●y toss One man to winning, and of an others loss. ¶ And when she robbeth one, down goth his pride He weepeth and waileth, and curseth her full sore But he that receiveth it, on that other side Is glad, and blesseth her, a. M, times therefore But in a while when she loveth him no more She glideth from him, and her gifts to And he her curseth, as other fools do● ¶ Alas the foolish people, can not cease Ne void her train, till they the harm f●●● About her alway, busily they press But lord what he thinketh himself, we●e That may set once, his hand upon her wheel He holdeth fast, but upward as he styeth She whippeth her whe●e about, & there he lieth. ¶ Thus fell julius, from his mighty power Thus fell Darius, the worthy king of pierce Thus fell Alexandre, the sovereign conqueror Thus many more, than I may well rehearse Thus double Fort●ne, when she ly●t reverse Her slipper favour, fro them that in her tru●t She flieth her way, and lieth him in the dust● ¶ She suddenly enhance him a loft And suddenly mischieveth, all the flock● The head that late lay, easily and soft In stead of pylouse, lieth after on the block And yet alas, the cruel proud mock The dainty mouth, that ladies kissed have She bringeth in the case, to kiss a knave. ¶ Thu● when she cha●nseth, her uncertain course Up starteth a knave, & down there fall●th a knight The beggar rich, and the rich man poor i● Hatred is turned to love, Love to despite This is her sport, thus proveth she her might Great bo●t she maketh, if one be by her power welthy● and wretched, both in an hour. ¶ Po●●●te that of her gifts, will no thing tak● with me●y cheer, she looketh on the press And seeth how f●rtunes, how should go 〈◊〉 w●ake Fast by h●● standeth, the wise Socrates Aristippus, Pythagoras, and many a life Of old Philosophers, and eke against the son B●ke●h him ●ore D●●●●nes in his ●onn● ¶ with her is Bias, whose country lacked defens● And whilom of their foes stood so in doubt That each man hastily 'gan to carry thence And a●ked him why, ●e nought carried out I bear quod he, all my with me about wisdom he meant, not fortunes brotell fees For nought he counted his, that he might lose. ¶ Heraclit●s to, list felowsshyp to keep with glad poverty, Democrytu● also Of which the ●yrs● can never but weep To see how thick, the blind people go with great labour●, to pur●hale care and 〈◊〉 That other laugheth, to see the folysse ap●s How earnestly, they walk about their Iape●● ¶ Of this poor sect, it is the usage Only to take, that nature may sustain banishing clean, all other surplusage They be content, and o● nothing complayn● No negarde e●e, is of his gold so fain But they more pleasure ●aue, a thousand fol●● The secret draughts of nature and to behold. ¶ Set fortunes servants by them a●d ye will That one is free, that other ●uer thrall That one content, that other never full That one in surety, that other like to fall who list to advise them, both perceive ye shall As great difference between them, as we see betwixt wretchedness, and felicity. ¶ Now have I showed you both, ●hese which ye 〈◊〉 Stately fortune, or humble poverty That is to say, now lieth it in your fist To take you to bondage, or free liberty But in this point, and ye do after me Draw you to fortune, and labour her to please If that ye think yourself, to well at ease. ¶ And first upon thee, lovely shall she smile And friendly on the cast, her wandering eyes Embrace the in her arms, and for a while Put the into a fol●s paradise And forthwith all, what so thou list devise She will the grant it, liberally perhaps But for all that beware of ●fter claps. ¶ Rekyn you never, of her favour sure Ye may in the clouds, as easily trace an ha●● Or in dry land cause fishes to endure And make the burning fire his heat ●o spare As all this world encompass to forfare A● her to make by c●afte, or engine stable That of her nature, i● 〈◊〉 variable. ¶ Serve her day and night, as reverntly Upon thy knees, as any servant may And in conclusion, that thou shall win thereby Shall not be worth thy service I dare say And yet, look what she giveth the to day with labour won, she shall haply to morrow Pluck it out of thy hand again with sorrows ¶ wherefore if thou in surety life to stand Take poverties part, and le● proud fortune go receive nothing that cometh from he● hand Love manner and virtue, for they be only though which double fortune may never take the fro Then mayst thou boldly defy her turning chance She can the neither hinder, nor anaunce. ¶ Bu● & thou wilt needs meddle with her treasure Trust not therein, and spend it liberally Bear ●he not proud, nor take not out of measure Build not thine house, high up in the sky None falleth far, but he that clynbeth high Remember nature sent the hither bare The gyftis of fortune count them, as borrowed ware ¶ who so delighteth to proven and assay Of wavering fortune, the full uncertain lot If that the answer please ye not alway Blame not me for I command ye not Fortune to trust, and eke full well ye wo● I have of her no bridle in my fist She re●neth lose, and turneth where she lists ¶ The rolling dice, in whom your luck doth sta●● with whose unhappy chance ye be so wrought Ye know your self, came neue● in mine hand ●o in this pond, be fishes and frogs both Cast in your net, b●t be ye life orloth Hold you content a● Fortune life assign It is your own fishing and not mine. ¶ And though in one chance fortune you offen●● Grudge not thereat, but bear a merry face In many another, she shall it amend There is no man so ●●t out of her grace But he sometime, hath comfort and solace Ne none again so set forth in her favour That fully satyfyed is with her behauyou●●. ¶ Fortune is stately, solemn, proud, and high And riches giveth, to have service therefore The ●edy beggar catcheth an hal●e penny Some man a. M. pound some less some more But for all that, she keepeth ever in store From every man some parcel of his will That he may pray therefore, and serve her ●●y●●. ¶ Some man hath good, but children hath none Some ma● hath both, but he can get none he●t● Some hath all three, but up to honours throne Can he not creep by no manner of stealth To som● she sendeth, children, riches wealth Honour, worship, and reverence all his life But yet she pincheth him, with a shrewd wife. ¶ Then for as much as it is fortunes gaze To grant no man all thing that he will axe But as herself list order and devise Doth every man his part divide and tax I council you truss up your packies And take nothing at all, or be content With such reward, as fortune hath you sent. ¶ All things in this book that ye shall ●ede Do as ye list, there shall no man you bind Them to believe, as surely as your creed But notwithstanding, certyes in my mind I durst well swear, as true ye shall the● find In every point, each answer by and by ●s are the judgements of Astronomye● ¶ Here Fineth Lady Fortune.