❧ Churchyards Lamentation of friendship.  

IN Court some say doth petition stolen.  
And some to Court for petition go:  
But I that walk the world about,  
Can never yet find friendship out.  
For fineness: shows so fair a face,  
That friendship hath no dwelling place  
Yea, deep dissembling manners mild,  
Hath saith and petition both erylde:  
The holow● heart is fowl and fell,  
Where friendship looketh now to dwell.  
The humble speech and Syrenes' song  
Hath shrouded friendship over long,  
The wily words that waves with wind  
Hath brought true friendship out of mind:  
And to be short fair words is all  
The fruit that from the tree doth fall.  
Words wields the world, & bears the sway,  
And petition daily doth decay:  
Yet durst I make of it report,  
it is among the meaner sort,  
If any faith or friendship be:  
But I so little petition see,  
I fear the virtue of the same  
Consystes but in the gentle name.  
The world is waren now so nice  
That we have learned the french device,  
At your commandment for a show,  
and mean no farther for to go:  
We are as free of promise still  
as though we mente a great good will,  
And brave it out for glories sake,  
and much ado thereof we make,  
To blaze abroad our bounty great:  
T●●h man the fire hath lost his heat,  
The flame yields forth but sparkles small,  
there is no friendship now at all.  
give ear and here a pretty jest:  
There was a man (at my request)  
That seemed an earnest friend in deed,  
and swore he would supply my need  
With all his help he could devise,  
and oft to blear his ladies eyes,  
And make her know his liberal mind:  
(for women Largesse love of kind.)  
He promyst many a goodly gift,  
but when I put him to his shift,  
For quick performance of this gear,  
then backward 'gan he for to serve  
Each word had passed his mouth before,  
I pray you now if we had store  
Of such good friends, when need should come  
might not a poor man strike his Drum  
Before their doors with cheerful spirit,  
and sound a march in open street  
A thousand times amidst his grief,  
or he should find thereby relief?  
five hundred of such mates as these  
(whose friendship is not worth a pease,  
Whose bravery shines beyond the Sune,  
yet sliper lads when all is done.)  
My hap hath been to meet or this:  
beware I say the judas kiss,  
The ●yrynge face the Parate gay,  
the babbling tongue that hath no stay,  
The fa●ner fine that croutcheth low,  
the pliant head that bends like bow,  
Whose nature likes not freindshyps' law:  
the glorious man, the prating daw.  
Tut, tut, I warn thee oversoon,  
full long had need to be the spoon  
A man should have for every feat  
that with the devil thinks to eat:  
For devils in these days are to rife,  
and thou must needs lead out thy life  
With deep dissemblers every ways:  
the devils are much more to praise  
Then muffled men that mischief breeds:  
who are not known but by their deeds?  
Oh friendship thou art much misused  
to be with friends thus abused,  
For friendship should with open face  
be seen and felt in every place.  
Of plainness first was friendship wrought,  
Just as the Gods, and pure of thought:  
Full free and frank as Lords hath been,  
full bend the people's hearts to win:  
Full glad to fill the needy hand,  
full firm of word, and sure to stand  
As Oak that every storm will bide:  
not lost with want, nor won with pride  
And wealthy pomp, the pump of sin,  
that bringeth every mischief in:  
But always clear from falseheddes' train.  
Than tell me now and do not feign:  
Where do that petition build his bower?  
where is such petition had this hour?  
Where maketh he now his mansion place?  
or where (good Lord) hath men such grace  
To light upon so great a bliss?  
man's mind and nature altered is:  
The world in wickedness is drowned,  
and truly petition is unsound  
And rotten like corrupted fruit,  
though glorious men will bear a brute  
Of friends, their friendship is so cold  
that we thereof have little hold:  
When it should serve our turn (god knows)  
we reap the weed, and plant the Rose:  
We gape for gold, and gripe but glass:  
now doth such words of office pass  
tween all estates both far and near,  
that talk is nought but feigned cheer  
To make fair weather for a while  
till one the other do beguile.  
I tell the man who plays the part  
of wily For, must learn this art:  
They are no small birds (as I guess)  
if I in authors may express  
The sins that now be kept in store,  
that puts in practise this and more  
To compass cloaked petition fine.  
The Fowler never drawe● his line  
So straight upon the silly fowl:  
nor sure the bias of the bowl  
Goeth not so straight on master block,  
as daily doth this dallyenge flock  
Upon the policy of the brain  
to bring the silly fool to train.  
Men are so used these days with words,  
they take them but for ●stes and boards  
That Christmas Lords were wont to speak.  
well, well, I say the world is week,  
And weker it is like to be,  
when credit out of the world shall fly,  
When trust is gone, and troth is dead,  
and faithful friendship hides his head,  
And words are help of none effect,  
and promise faithful is suspect.  
Farewell, all earthly hope is past,  
I see our manners change so fast,  
And such affection leads our will  
awry, to fickle petition still:  
That sure true petition silent sits,  
and nought bears rule but wily w●ttes:  
Unshame fast ways, and mere deceit,  
for plainness such a pleasant bait,  
As choketh up both high and low,  
and poisoneth all the world I trow:  
Wherefore since friendship takes his leave,  
and fineness doth us all deceive,  
Let freyndshyppes name be banished quite,  
for sure it is a great despite  
To speak of petition any time,  
to make of friendship prose or rhyme,  
Or give to friendship any praise,  
that is so fruitless in our days.   
qd. churchyard.  
Finis.   

¶ Imprinted at london by Thomas Colwell for Nicolas Dyer dwelling in S. Mariyus parish near to Charing Cross, at the sign of Saint john Evangelist.