¶ An excellent Epitaffe of sir Thomas wyat, with two other compendious ditties, wherein are touched, and set forth the state of man's life.  
 

WYat resteth here, that quick could never rest.  
Whose heavenly gifts, increased by disdain  
And virtue sank, the deeper in his breast  
Such profit he, of envy could obtain   

¶ A Head, where wisdom mysteries did frame  
Whose hammers beat still in that lively brain  
As on a stith, where some work of fame  
Was daily wrought, to turn to britains game   

¶ A Uysage stern and mild, where both did groo  
Vice to contemn, in virtues to rejoice  
Amid great storms, whom grace assured so  
To live upright and smile at fortune's choice.   

¶ A Hand that taught what might be said in rhyme  
That refte Chaucer, the glory of his wit  
A mark, the which (unperfited for time)  
Some may approach but never none shall it:   

¶ A tongue, that served in foreign realms his king  
Whose curtoise talk, to virtue did inflame.  
Each noble heart a worthy guide to bring  
Our Englyishe youth, by travail unto fame.   

¶ An Eye, whose judgement, no affect could blind  
Friends to allure, and foes to reconcile  
Whose piercing look, did represent a mind.  
with virtue fraught, reposed, void of guile.   

¶ A Heart, where dread yet never so impressed  
To hide the thought that might the troth advance  
In neither fortune lift nor so repressed  
To swell in wealth, nor yield unto mischance   

¶ A valiant Corpse, where force and beauty met  
Happy, alas, to happy but for foes.  
Lived, and ran ●he race that nature set  
Of manhood's shape, where she the mould did loos   

¶ But to the heavens that simple soul is fleed.  
Which left with such, as covet Christ to know  
witness of faith that never shallbe dead  
Sent for our wealth, but not received so  
Thus for our guilt, this jewel have we lost  
The earth his bones, the heaven possess his ghost  
AMEN.   

¶ The mirror or Glass of Fortune.  

When fortune favoureth, and setteth a fit  
In high estate man for to reign  
Then all men cometh to him full oft  
And couey●s with him, for to remain  
His company none will disdain,  
Thus friends he getteth, many a one  
But if he fall, I say certain.  
Of all his friends then hath he none.   

☞ When he doth rule him they obey  
And serve him still, at all assays  
Attentifely, without delay.  
Great pains they take both nights and days  
With all their power him for to please  
Thus friends he getteth many a one  
But if he fall they turn their ways.  
Of all his friends then hath he none:   

¶ As long as he, is in his wealth  
Nothing to him than shall be dear.  
In his estate, have he his health  
All honour to him than shall appear  
Of most and least, both far and near  
Thus friends he getteth many one  
But if he fall, than every where,  
Of all his friends, than hath he none.   

¶ Man thus a fit, knoweth not his friend.  
For all men than, to him apply  
Showing themselves, to him most kind.  
As though they would both live and die  
At his bidding always ready,  
Thus friends he getteth many a one  
But if he fall they him deny  
Of all his friends, than hath he none.   

¶ In his estate they will ensue  
To follow him all that they may  
In right or wrong, false or true  
His will truly, none will gainsay  
Though by and by they him bewray  
Such feigned friends, be many one  
And if he fall they him denay  
Of all his friends, than hath he none.   

¶ When fortune on the doth laugh or smile  
giving the great possession  
Belowly and gentle all the while  
Thinking on her progression  
Some she exalteth, some by suppression  
Falleth under foot, as doth many one  
So turneth the wheel, without intercession  
Some to good chance, and some to none.   

¶ When thou art down, farewell a dew  
No more service, thou hast at all  
When broken is thy retinue  
On thy name than no man will call  
Disdainful words, on the go shall  
Foes thou shalt have, many a one  
Which will rejoice, at thy great fall  
Of all thy friends, than hast thou none.   

¶ Thus under foot when thou art brought  
Whom thou dost favour most of all  
By the truly will set right nought  
Scant a good word give the he shall  
Unmyndfull how beneficial  
Thou wast than to many a one  
And when thy dignity doth fall  
Of all thy friends, than hast thou none.   

¶ Thus fareth the world, both to and fro  
When man is in adversity  
Who is he than, that will him know  
Or help him in extremity  
When he is strick, without pity  
With the foul dart, of cruel disdain  
None than on him shall have mercy  
Lie he in woe, pining in pain.   
Finis.   

A compendious ditty Wherein is touched the state of man's life,  

NO wight in this world, that wealth can attain  
unless he believe, that all is but vain  
And look how it cometh, so leave it to go  
As tides use their times, to ebb and to flow,  
This muck on the mould, that men so desire  
Doth work them much woe, and moveth them to ire  
With grief it is got, with care it is kept  
With sorrow soon lost, that long hath ben'repte  
And woe worth that man, that first dolve the mould  
To find out the mine, of silver and gold  
For when it lay hid, and to us unknown  
Of strife and debate, the seed was not sown  
Than lived man well and held them content  
With meat, drink and cloth without any rent  
Their houses but poor to shroud themselves in  
For castles and towers, were than to begin  
No town had his wall, they feared no war  
Nor enemies host to seek them afar  
So led they their lives in quiet and rest  
Till hourde began hate from East unto west  
And gold for to grow a lord of great price  
Which changed the world from virtue to vice  
And turned all thing so far from his kind  
That how it should be, is worn out of mind  
For richesse beareth now the fame and the brute  
And only the cause of all our pursuit.  
Which maketh among us much mischief to reign  
And shall till we seek the right way again  
when marriage was made for virtue and love,  
Than was no divorce gods knit to remove.  
when judges would suffer no bribes in their sight,  
Their judgements was than according to right  
when prelate's had not possessions nor rent  
They preached the truth and truly they went  
when men did not flatter for favour nor meed,  
Than kings herd the truth, & how the world go  
And men unto honour through virtue did rise  
But all this is turned contrariwise  
For money maketh all, and ruleth as a god  
Which ought not to be, for Christ it forbade  
And bade that we should take nothing in hand  
But for the lords love, and wealth of the land  
And wills us full oft, that we should refrain  
From wresting his will, to make our own gain,  
For covetous folk of every estate.  
As hardly shall enter within heaven gate  
As through a needles eye a camel to creep  
Why do these mad men them hoard up and keep,  
Ye more than may serve themselves to suffice  
As though perfect bliss should that way arise  
But if they would suffer to sink in their breast  
What trouble of mind what unquiet rest  
What mischief, what hate this money doth bring,  
They would not so toil for so vile a thing  
For they that have much, are ever in care  
Which way to win, and how for to spare  
Their sleeps be unsound for fear of the thief  
The loss of a little doth work them much grief  
In seeking their lack they want that they have  
And subject to that which should be their slave  
They never do know, whiles riches doth reign  
Attend of effect from him that doth seygne  
For flatterers seek where fortune doth dwell  
And when that she lowreth, they bid them farewell  
The poor doth them curse as oft as they want  
In having so much to make it so scant  
Their children sometimes do wish them in grave  
That they might possess that richesse they have  
And that which they wine with travail and strife  
Oftentimes (as we see) doth cost them their life  
To these be the fruits that richesse bringeth forth  
With many other more, which be no more worth  
For money is cause of murder and theft  
Of battle & bloodshed, which would god wer●left  
Of ravin, of wrong, of false witness bearing  
Of treason conspired, and eke of forswearing.  
And for to be short and knit up the knot  
Few mischiefs at all that money maketh not.  
But though it be ill, when it is abused,  
Yet nevertheless it may be well used.  
Nor I do not find, that men be denied  
Of sufficient things themselves to provide,  
According as god hath put them in place,  
To have and to hold a time and space:  
So it be well won and after well spent:  
For it is not theirs, but for that intent,  
And if they so do, than it is good skill,  
They have that is meet to use at their will  
As priests should not take promotions in hand  
To live at their ease like lords of the land  
But only to feed gods flock with the truth  
To preach and to teach without any sloth  
Nor folks should not need great riches to win  
But godly to live and for to flee sin  
His will for to work that is their soul's health  
And than may they think, they live in much wealth  
For in this vain world that we be now in  
Is nothing but misery, mischief and sin  
Temptation, untruth, contention, and strife  
Than let us not set by so vile a life  
But lift up our eyes, and look through our faith  
Beholding his mercies, that many times saith  
The just men shall live by their good belief  
And shall have a place where can be no grief  
But gladness and mirth that none can amend  
Unspeakable toys, which never shall end  
With pleasures that pass all that we have sought  
Felicities such as can not be thought  
Which place they shall have that his will intends  
With life everlasting, and thus my tale ends.  
Vinit post funera virtus.    
¶ Imprunted at London by john Herforde for Roberte toy.