decorative border ¶ Here beginneth a treaty se of this Galaunt with the marriage of the boss of Byllyngesgate. unto London Stone. Galaunt. Right as small floods/ increase to waters fell So that narrow furrous/ may not sustain. Right so pride unclosed may not counsel this new wretchedness that causeth us complain How woe hath wrapped us in a cruel chain Our pride showeth it well both terre and near England may wayie▪ that ever it came here ¶ The sin that now reigneth/ to behold is ruth. Of fraud and deceit/ great But need constraineth us/ now to say the truth Of pride and deceit/ this new dissimulation That blindeth and consumeth/ our english nation. Lucyters progeny among us doth appear England may wail that ever it came here ¶ Right late stood our land in such prosperity Of chivalry/ manhood/ and rich merchandise through all christian royalmes/ sprang our felicity. Of great wealth and prowess/ in sundry wise Our sadness is changed/ for the new guise We have eryled our wealth/ I note where England may wail/ that ever it came here. ¶ Pride hath found way to exclude man fro bliss In disfiguring nature/ by this new array Both men and women/ can say what it is For both need and poverty/ goth now right gay But alas our sorrow/ increaseth every day And if ye live long ye shall both see and here That England shall wail/ that ever it came here. ¶ For pride hath our plenty/ turned to evil fare And feedeth us as beasts/ that draweth in the plough Many a worthy man/ bringeth he to sorrow and care Where fortune sometime/ freshly on him loughe examine thy living that this world useth enough. How/ need with sin/ groweth every where England may wail that ever it came here ¶ For many a vengeance as scripture maketh mention Hath fallen to kingdoms in sundry wise And finally put the people in destruction For their obstinacy/ a new fangle guise Alas england that sometime was so wise. Other nations refuse/ hast bought so dear That thou mayst wail/ that ever it came here. ¶ Sometime we had France/ in great derision For their hateful pride and loathsome uncleanness Use we not now/ the same in our region And have permuted out wealth/ for their gladness Lechery of our people is become a master. Our gentleness/ for galauntyse have we left there. England may wail that ever it came here. ¶ It ye behold the gallant's progeny byperyous That out of France be fled/ for their intoxication Hath now vengeance consumed/ that royalme glorious For their pride/ and sinful abomination. That all the world/ may wail their desolation O France/ why died not these gallants abide there England 〈…〉 ¶ For in this name galant/ ye may express. Seven letters for some cause in especial That figureth the seven. deadly sins & their wretchedness By whom man is made/ to the devil thrall. Was not pride cause of Lucyfers fall Pride is in hell/ and gallants nigheth them near. England may wail/ that ever it came here ¶ O thou gay galant/ by thine unthrifty name With gabbing & glozing/ gettest that thou hast Gyle was thy father/ and jealousy thy dame In jetting/ in jangling/ thy days been past. For all thy glorious going/ age gnaweth fast Thy glazed life and gluttony/ be glued so in fere That England may wayle●t that ever it came here ¶ appetites of avarice/ be to them so amorous abusion and arrogance/ been of one affynyte Adventure and anger/ been aye so debatous. Feigning estate/ of counterfeit authority adulation of adventure/ mayst thou not avaunt the As a liar in goodness/ in thine array dost appear England may wail/ that ever it came here ¶ For all the land/ lechery leapeth about That good love and law/ been almost lost Of lust and liking/ ledest thou such a rout That sloth and lechery/ have elennes to torn Thou labourest to lose/ that thy friends got tofore For lewdness and lechery/ been so led in fere. England may wail that ever it came here. ¶ Abominable accidie/ accuseth all our nation Our aungelyke abstinence/ is now refused. furthermore of antichrist/ this new dissimulation Alas that such sorrow/ among us is used Our avarice and hatred/ have us so accused That divers adversities/ seweth us year by year. England may wail that ever it came here. ¶ For our wasting wretchedness/ that wades so deep. In our wanton wearing/ of clothes to torn To wyldenes & wrath/ the world taketh most keep. For in wasting & vanity/ men reckon not what is lost For wife and for women/ for to were the horn. That virtuous virginity/ is deed and laid on bear England may wail that ever it came here ¶ The noble course of nature/ nycete hath devoured For need causeth it to be our desolation So hath the new fangles/ our wealth obscured That negligence nourisheth necessity/ to our confusion. This causeth our gallants/ by their nation Neverthryfte and thryveles/ noye ever us so near England may wail/ that ever it came here. ¶ For trygetours & tryflours/ that taverns haunt Have troth and temperance/ trodden under foot Talewes and talking/ and drinking ataunte. As tyrants and traitors/ toyllous in moot Till they be tried out is there no boot And trysed to baratrum/ tossed in fere. England shall wail/ that ever it came here. ¶ O galant upon galaunt/ & o thou galant gay And thou ruskyn galant/ that poverty doth menace For all thy warrocked hood/ and thy proud array And thy parrocked pouch/ that thou so fast dost brace. Thou busiest thee/ to counterfeit Lucyfers trace. Think not to long/ or thou dwell with him there For the cursed ensample/ that thou showest here: ¶ So many barefoot people/ & so few good livers Hath no man seen/ sith the world began So many styroppes/ and so few good chyvallers And so many brainless/ that little good can Men arrayed as women/ and woman as man This causeth death/ & that all thing is so dear England may wail/ that ever it came here ¶ So moche richesse and array/ and so much need So many beads born/ and so little devotion So much fasring for hungres/ and so little need So moche painted worship/ and so little reason I trow no man hath seen/ in this region Our sin asketh vengeance/ I am in great fere. In short time we shall wail/ that ever it came here. ¶ How many points were they now a days And yet a good point/ among them were hard to find Daggers of vengeance/ ready to make frays. With long taters down to the arse behind tripping with small shanks/ as light as lief on lined. To make it tough & fresh/ as it were the new year England may wail that ever it came here ¶ So many purfled garments/ furred with non sequitur With so many penyles purses/ hath no man saw. Small girding in the waste/ with all their other mustur That we go all backward/ from high to law Y● flourishing meed of our wealth/ we have begun to maw But we beseech god/ amend us another year Or else we shall wail that ever it came here ¶ Our women are despoiled/ & give them to wantonness Our men with clouts/ at their breast like a pie Our women have debated/ with shamefastness And our men with uncleanness/ it I shall not lie O england thou mayst weep with Jeremy saying the people thus led by the ere. England may wail that ever it came here. ¶ Our women in their part/ labour as they may In their array with cheer and countenance Our men on their side make them fresh and gay And labour to purchase/ women's pleasance Thus between both groweth moche mischance Each seeketh sin as doth appear. England may wail/ that ever it came here. ¶ Our gallants live/ in lusts as beasts. maintainers of quarrels/ and unthriftiness. Our shameless women with their high crests exposition/ robbery/ and our ungentleness. Prelatis negligence lords ravayn & merchants' deceits These asketh vengeance/ this lesson must ye lere shall ye wail/ that ever it came here. ¶ Behold these days/ the people of our nation. Are charged with sin/ and governed by folly. How need will compel us/ by transmigration With very woe/ drive unto Babylonye. O england/ where is now thy glory That sometime shone/ through the world so clear. Well mayst thou wail/ that ever this sorrow came here. ¶ All people labour of this new disguising. In forging their fantasies/ to maintain pride. He is now wisest/ that can most of devising Good making of a man is now laid on side This new array is brought up/ in this land so wide And yet for all that it may not last a year England may wail that ever it came here ¶ Behold the rolled heads/ stuffed with flocks. The new broached doublets/ open at the breasts Stuffed with pectoll/ of their loves smocks. Their gowns and their coats/ shred all in lists So many caps as now be/ & so few good priests I can not reckon half the rout of their marred gear. England may wail that ever it came here. ¶ These gallants/ use also full abomination. Their typpettes be writhen/ life to a chain. And they go haltered in them/ as horse in the stable It is a perilous Prognostication certain For sinful souls/ shall be bound in pain Hand and foot in perpetual fire. They shall curse the time/ that ever it came here. ¶ All these new bulwarks/ they were at their knees They labour sore in their wits/ fantasies to find No man holdeth him content/ with his degrees Pride goth before/ and shame cometh behind Alas that english men/ should be so blind So moche sorrow among us and so little fere We may wail the time that ever it came here ¶ Forget not lightly/ how many strangers. Have entered this kingdom/ and kept the possession. five times/ as writeth old chronicles And changed our tongues/ in sundry division. O elergy/ pray for our english nation That god for his mercy/ of this sin make us clear we shall wail/ that ever it came here ¶ Effectually pray god/ for his reformation. Of wealth/ manhood/ and of merchandise. And tresoury of peace/ that christ in his passion Left between god and man/ when he should die. The commonalty in love/ conserve perseverauntlye With charity both high and low to join in fere In voiding of sin that tormenteth us here ¶ O England/ remember thine old sadness Pray god thou may rejoice/ thine old felicity Exile pride and relieve to thy goodness For sin hath consumed/ this worlds humanity That thou may resore/ again to thy gladness And his blessed mother/ as this land is her dower For we have cause to wail that ever it came here ¶ Thus endeth this galaunt. ¶ Here beginneth the marriage of London Stone and the fair pusell the boss of Byllyngesgate. hearken unto me/ both loud and still And to this matter/ lay to your ear And of your advise & also your good will Of this little prosses/ that after doth appear. Of ii that have dwelt in london many a year. And now is disposed/ to be man and wife Help them with your charity/ to buy their wedding gear For they be both naked/ & not worth an halfpenny knife. ¶ To you their names/ I will declare If ye know any impediment. The one is the boss of Byllyngesgate of beauty so fair. And the other London Stone/ curtes and gente This is their purpose and hole intent To be married/ as soon as they may He that would let them I would he were shent It would do you good to see them dance and play. ¶ For now the great love/ that is between them twain. And neither of them looked other in the face. London Stone answered/ full wisely again. Where is no love/ there lacketh grace But evil tongues is so unmild And of late hath said/ in a place where they dydemete ●ow the Besie of byllyngesgate/ hath had a child. By the well with two buckets in bishop gate street. ¶ It were able to make any woman weep To be so deadly belied as is the good Boss. The man is in sins deep That robbeth her so of her good lose For to his soul it is dangerous. Thus saith London Stone/ of prudence so wise He that in slander/ any will disclose. Of the devils reward/ he shall not miss ¶ Therefore let my wife and me alone. For by my study and waking many a night. I know by the stars/ that shone by the moon. That fair Bosse/ holy was in my sight And that to my nature/ she should be coequal. And remain as my fere/ ever in my sight. By the purveyance/ of the gods Imperial To my comfort shining as the stars bright ¶ Wherefore I beseech you/ in humble wise To report the best in every place And say no worse/ than may be to your praise. Which jupiter had ordained of his great grace Long or that we came in to this town For our comfort/ and for our solace. As man and wife by divine provysyowne Therefore are we 'greed to remain in this place. ¶ Sith the gods above/ hath destined them so. Let us be merry and think how they dance For it is a goodly couple of them two. For in their behaviour/ was never found variance As knoweth all that here be present Which bring the hearers/ to life eternal. Where god is reigning permanent Among his angels celestial ¶ Finis. printer's device of William Caxton (appropriated by Wynkyn de Worde) W numerals 7 and 4 C Wynkyn · de · word.