¶ Spare your good EVen about the month of may I ween it was the third day Of that same month as I guess And so it was so have I bless For I know it well by a thing Of the which I have had knowledging As here after ye shall hear full well Of a knights soon how it befell A rich knight there was in France I understand And was a man of great land and height sir Thomas perlore a sone he had with his wife and no more And she was called fair Ysaungrayne and their sone called Rafelyne and of this child ye shall hear and of his father and his mother dear Of his father he was lief and dear So was he of his mother I you ensere So it happened upon a day That this young man should sport and play His father bade him go among wise men That he might learn some good of them But this yunge man him bethought That after his father's counsel he would do nougt But to ill company he him drew and learned all vice and left virtue Till father and mother were dead Than could he none other read But bury them after the common use Other sorrow would he none use But forth he went to his company anon and said sirs let us be merry everichone Sir they said welcome be ye truly and we all pray you heartily To sit by us and keep company So he did and thanked them heartily They called anon for meat & drink of the best For to eat and drink as them lest and when they had eaten and drunken their fill Sir they said know ye nothing of our will No by my faith he said incontinente But by saint Thomas of kent I would have at the hazard a cast or two For to learn to cast the dice to and fro and if here be any body that will for money play I have yet in my purse money and pledges gay Some be nobles, some be crowns of France Have at all who will of this dance One of them answered with that word and cast a bale of dice on the board and said master Rafeleyne will ye have a fytre Have at all if ye will sit Master Rafeleyne drew to his pouch Till he had lost coin and o wyche Than he drew out pledges fresh and gay Till all was gone and played away home he goeth like as he were out of his mind and sold all his goods before and behind and to harlots he goeth and to bawds bold For he thought his money should ever hold To the tavern and to the brothel he h●ndrest For all that his fellowship d●d counsel him for the best But at the la●te when all was gone Than he began to make his moan L●ke as here after ye shall understand Therefore spare your good that ye have in hand. ¶ Thus endeth the prologue ALas my good is spent I have no more Therefore I am troubled sore with great grievance in my heart rote To spend a pound was but a small note Like as I was used to do here and there Therefore I must now mirth forbear Which here before I did not understand Therefore spare your good that ye have in hand. What shall I now begin to do alas Here before I might go in every place With the best where so ever they went unto the wine, to the good ale, or to the bear all unshent But for because give no more I may Must I be cast out of all game and play In my grievance is no remedy I understand Therefore spare your good that ye have in hand What availeth it me to cry or to complain then When my friends and also my kinsmen May neither see me nor hear me Therefore think I of them but little comforted to be Thus have I spent all my good out right ●y●h playing, with drinking day and night which every wise man will not do I understand Therefore spare your good that ye have in hand. Never I could perceive this great charge But my lust hath brought me in this rage The which I begin no● to understand That money is lord of all the land For because I have not had this in remembrance Therefore poverty and misery is tall to my chance And am taken of no value I understand Therefore spare your good that ye have in hand I see that they with finger's point after me The which here before were used to praise me And they let me pass by the door The which I have kept good fellowship tofore They mock with me which I was wonts to trim May not I have great repentance of this lust Ye and must suffer this I understand Therefore spare your good that ye have in hand When I was young and had good at will And every body eat and drank with me their fill Than they did call me in every place Now they think I am not worth a lace poverty hath taken me with great sorrow I have nothing nor can nothing borrow Thus have I but ill fortune I understand therefore spare your good that ye have in hand ●…ue thought in my mind Could I any good get or find I would not cast it away every del● Like as my fellowship did my counsel When I was used to bear money be my side I thought not that it should thus from me slide Thus was I not wise I understand Therefore spare your good that you have in hand Might I yet that day live That my friends would me give Some thing where with all I might get richesses and honest principal I would thank them now and than among But certes my thinketh they tarry to long Therefore I must suffer be it sweet or sour I understand Therefore spare your good that ye have in hand When any body hath any richesse Every body him worshippeth both more and less But and he have nothing in value He is nothing set by perdue And if he come hither or else where Every body fleeth from him as he the devil were Full often changeth his courage I understand Therefore spare your good that ye have in hand. He that hath nothing is taken of no value And will not do after good counsel perdue Like as of me ye may example take How of riot and other games was used to make Who so ever in the world if riot me bethought I could it lightly help for to be wrought which is now bitter it was than sweet at that stand Therefore spare your good that ye have in hand Wherefore should not I take now sorrow again Ye certes there is none that will me any thing lean Even thus the wheel of fortune runneth And if good luck did tame I sholude not be wit If it be good luck or ill hap It cometh to him that shall have it at a clap Every body may see by me in this stand Therefore spare your good that ye have in hand A man may well a good fellow be In the wine, in good ale, in bear where so it be and if he think for the common profit also Here or there where so ever he go Thus may a man haunt mirth and gain If he do it not by measure he is to blame For in every thing measure is good I understand Therefore spare your good that ye have in hand Farewell I set you all this testament Who will learn this shall be unshente and can keep him among good company Shall be free of all sorrow and misery Who so ever taketh this testament in remembrance poverty and misery shall not fall to his chance His good his worship shall he keep I understand Therefore spare your good that ye have in hand FINIS I Here endeth a little tre●tyse very profitable for every young man and young woman called Sirs spare your good. Imprinted at London in Paul's church yard by Anthony Kytson. GEMINI.