¶ A complaint of them that be to soon married,   


¶ For as moche as many folk there be  
That desire the sacrament of wedding  
Other will keep them in vyrgynye  
And will in chastity be living  
Therefore I will put now in writing  
In what sorrow these men lead their lives  
That to soon be coupled to cursed wives   

NOw am I in great mischief and sorrow  
To soon I put my body in gage  
I live in care/ night/ even/ and morrow  
little lacketh that I ne enrage  
To be to soon married I laid my gage  
Cursed be the time that I it ever knew  
The devil have his part of marriage  
And of him that me first thereto drew   

My heart right ill did me counsel  
To a young woman me for to same  
To soon wed there they did me compel  
Wherefore I hold myself in fame  
By god I swear and by his name  
I will all lovers clean discourage  
That would not with there will take them a dame  
And put themself in such damage   

Better it were to be a man savage  
Than to be take in that ilk lace  
Gentle gallants flee that passage  
Beside that way look that ye pass  
Go out of that way that will the chase  
Go out of that way or ye be lost  
Go ye therefro/ turn ye your face  
Go from that way to another cost   

Go ye thence my friends I you pray  
Go ye therefro I you do pray  
Go ye from that hot flame of fire  
Go ye therefro as I you say  
Or ye will repent an other day  
Go ye therefro full loud I cry  
Go ye fro the bond of welawaye  
Which is the ark of all folly   

flee I pray you for god's sake  
flee this passage that is right dangerous  
flee ye from that perilous lake  
Of muddy mire so n/a and cumbrous  
flee that dark place so murk and tenebrous  
flee fro that ilk cursed temptacyn  
I find it nothing avauntagyous  
But it all turneth in to perdition   

Alas my brethren ye christian men  
For god take ye in patience  
To hear the sorrow that I in ren  
For to acquit my conscience  
I require you in the reverence  
Of the sweet virgin marry  
For to eschew all unpatience  
Look to soon that ye not marry   

The wise man us ensigneth and saith  
That none should other reprove  
Of any vice/ hurt/ ill/ or scathe  
That they see of him morn or eve  
I say it for I did myself move  
To learn to make plays joyous  
Keep him that will and me believe  
For there may be many envious   

outrageous alas I died not think  
Three times of that that I would do  
But hastily I died me clynke  
Unto my will and went thereto  
Simple I was and humble also  
Evil thought was not mine intent  
Now have I for my labour lo  
Annoy/ thought/ pain/ and torment   

Think thou now what it is of service  
Think also what it is of franchise  
The servitude of marriage  
Afore all other servage lice  
All wise men doth it despise  
Let none take it nor other make  
For it is the most fool enterprise  
That any man may undertake   

Take ye heed where that ye go  
Poor whystelers foolish and sturdy  
Be not assoted nor peevish also  
So outragyus nor so hardy  
That for one deed ne for a cry  
Ye cast yourself in such a snare  
For ye shall not be wring nor wry  
Come out thereof therefore beware   

Better ye were withouten harm  
For to become a celestine  
A grey frere jacopyn or a carme  
An hermit or a frere Austyne  
flee ye therefro/ ye seek your fine  
And the abregment of your days  
Wherefore do not yourself incline  
To enter with right and other ways   

Man the which hath no title  
Nor servitude by any sent  
He is in his own free-will  
And at his good commandment  
Man maketh his avow and talente  
For all that god hath him give  
By no manner for to consent  
For to bind him in servitude to live   

If thou know what charge it is  
To take a wife and her to keep  
So priest thou would not be iwis  
At such a snare in for to creep  
Nor let thyself so to be yclepe  
To be engloted in such a cleft  
Out of which thou mayst not peep  
Till that she be broke and rift   

These religious maundiens  
May well an other order take  
So many canons and deacons  
officers their offices may forsake  
None may against them noise make  
But we the which been married  
May neither mount nor yet down slake  
So been we in this point allied   

It is well knit that is so bound  
That no man can it undo  
In wedding knot I have me found  
That I counde not from it go  
If I were lous no more there to  
Would I return for so the certain  
I read them that hath been so  
Beware and go not to it again   

Certainly I will not blame  
Marriage that god instituted  
But honour it wihouten grame  
For the order should be worshipped  
And I have me advanced  
Than I ought for to speak more  
The charge to ill wives be dealed  
For I see ever each day wherefore   

And for to give you for to wit  
The poverty that therein is found  
I ought well to dispraise it  
For there I have be bound  
Alas my work died little rebound  
And little befell to me than  
Than to learn I did recounde  
By myself or by some good man   

I nought I wend that I had learned  
I thought that I was full sage  
But for all that I was clyked  
As a bird is in a cage  
That hath nothing advantage  
But as long as the cage may dure  
In like wise I am in marriage  
Enclosed needs I must endure   

Endure I must who that nay saith  
For to endure I and constraint  
For I swear to you on my faith  
The joy that I make it is but faint  
I am so holden in fere and in craynt  
That I am worse than diseased  
I am not come to that attaint  
That I thought in time passed   

When that I was newly married  
I had good time about three days  
I was not chyddene haryed  
I was fulfilled with love rays  
I made gambandes'/ leaps/ and plays  
I held me neither near ne far  
But soon enough I had assays  
Of sorrow and care that made me bare   

running they came me to assail  
On the other side right asperly  
Full sore they made me to avail  
Were it sleeping or wakyngly  
Thought alway was present me by  
And yet before me made frontere  
With them in their company  
great charge which bore the banner   

About eight days or soon after  
Our marriage the time for to pass  
My wife I took and did set her  
Upon my knee for to solace  
And began her for to embrace  
saying sister go get the time lost  
We must think to labour a pace  
To recompense that it hath us cost   

Than for despite she up arose  
And drew her fast behind me  
To me saying is this the gloze  
Alas poor caitiff well I see  
That I never shall have quod she  
With you more than pain and torment  
I am in an evil degree  
I have now lost my sacrament   

For me be to long with you here  
Alas I ought well for to think  
What we should do within ten year  
When we shall have at our heart brink  
Many children on for to think  
And cry after us without fail  
For their meat and their drink  
Than shall it be no marvel   

Cursed be the hour that I ne was  
Made a none in some cloister  
Never there for to pass  
Or had be made some sister  
In servage with a clousterer  
It is not eight days sith our wedding  
That we two together were  
By god ye speak to soon of working   

But sir sith it doth you please  
It pleaseth me as is reason  
Your will doth not me displease  
It pleaseth me at each season  
Ye be sir of this mansion  
And I am your chamber  
I would fain find some enchesom  
That dying deed I were on bear   

Would to god that I were deed  
Than should ye be quite of me  
In little while know you I died  
And neither I perceive nor see  
Ne know how that reason should be  
That to me ye speak of that wyrke  
By my soul I see at the eye  
That of you I shall have but irk   

For god sir advise you well  
That I died never business  
In the house there as I died dwell  
Many there were that put them in press  
Me for to love above excess  
And yet I put them all away  
Though they had much great richesse  
No man but you was to my pay   

Am I of such lineage comen  
For to have pain and great travail  
I that was so dearly holden  
And never looked for none avail  
No that thing should me provayle  
I was wont but to go and play  
Dance and sing at each spousal  
And ye from me put all that away   

Thanked be god ye have had of me  
Of rich chievance good and fair  
Gold and silver great plenty  
Rents and heritage you to prepare  
In all this country there is none air  
Be ye never so rich of lineage  
But he might of that affair  
Make rich all his parentage   

I do not say that ye were dign  
To have one ten times better than I  
Alas ye showed unto me sign  
Of great grace wealth and courtesy  
That when I heard any company  
That spoke of you in any place  
I had my heart ravished truly  
For great pleasure and solace   

when she had made her complaint  
Like an woman all an angered  
She than seized under a faint  
Full of sorrow and all be weeped  
The day and hour there she cursed  
with a trist heart wringing her hand  
That ever she was nourished  
For to espouse such an husband   

when that I heard and understood  
That the which she me reproached  
I was abashed and still stood  
And durst not to her be approached  
Her tongue toward me was declined  
I wot not where that she had fysshte  
The words that she there dysgorged  
That I was fain to be whysshte   

In this said dolorous song  
I died me put for to have pease  
Force it was in to be throng  
Yet went I not in with mine ease  
But my wife me to displease  
Abode not long for to perceive  
The sorrow that died my heart poise  
where through she died deceive   

Than came her mother to house  
That found her how she was weeping  
And soon she said my noun soon dous  
Why maketh she that waymenting  
And said it was not her learning  
To have her daughter so to be chid  
And that she had a perceiving  
That I had her so an angered   

By my faith said I good mother  
Nought have I done nor her myssayde  
Serve her I will as my sister  
With good heart and will purveyed  
For against her I nothing said  
But that ways we must find  
Us for to store and she me nayed  
I iwis she hath to iyrse a mind   

By god my fair son you ne aught  
So alway for to threaten her  
For iwis she was never taught  
For to work therefore deal softer  
But she will do well here after  
Wherefore speak no more I you pray  
Never was I in such danger  
Wherefore I thank god night and day   

Than cometh her cousins also  
For to complish my passion  
Her gossips and her neighbours to  
Sembling like a prosessyon  
God knew what destruction  
drinking my wine all at their ease  
All thing goeth to perdition  
Nevertheless I must hold my pease   

To a feast they brought me on a day  
About two or three mile hence  
God knoweth what great joy led they  
Taking little intelligence  
Her friends lead her at mine expense  
How that the game goeth they ne care  
I say that by experience  
It will make a man all thread bore   

Now must they make a pilgrimage  
To saint Lenarde or saint Laurence  
For good they be for the great rage  
That they have/ as I may purpence  
Who may then have any patience  
For to see such derision  
Trotting alway without resistance  
And not kyping their mansion   

Than must they have new habits  
Gowns and other habiliments  
Kings of of gold pearls and cresolytes  
Bedes and girdles with long pendents  
I have neither house ne rents  
Whereon that I may live  
A man with many such payments  
May live long or ever he may thrive   

ween ye that they take any keep  
How that silver is spent anon  
The devil bren them on an heap  
Them and all their opinion  
we give to them such abandon  
Be they fair or be they foul  
That we have therefore such guerdon  
That we be caytyses be my soul   

almighty god give me sufferance  
For I am sore passioned  
with pain/ sorrow/ and dystourbaunce  
As much as any man hath suffered  
But sith I am thereto condemned  
I thank our lord of paradise  
For thereto I am ordained  
I see it is none otherwise   

considering that I ne may  
Hyte/ nor ho avaunt/ ne arere  
I wish my death every day  
Hide me I must never to appear  
In dung stinking never to come here  
desiring death is my resort  
Chowing my bit in this manner  
without biding any comfort   

You the which are clean acquitted  
Pray ye for that poor caitiff  
The which is all disherited  
And hath yspended by his wife  
His good that never in his life  
Shall be rendered to him again  
Wherefore I may with heart pensive  
Cry out alas and thus complain   

I make an end I live in great martyr  
So do they that be to soon married  
The thing that most of all I desire  
Is that they be right well harried  
For by women men be so varied  
Each loseth his understanding  
Wherefore I will that they be for prayed  
That god give them sorrow everlasting   

For such is my dyssynement  
And will prove it before our lord  
That women been abusement  
All about in play/ strife/ and board  
To soon married may meet accord  
Unto them would I or nay  
I leave them here at this said word  
And no more of them will I say   

¶ Right dear friends lovely I do you submit  
Of my first work in to correction  
But mine own will can not as yet  
endue any thing of mine intention  
Rather I will abide a little season  
Than to put my wit afore intelligence  
ventosity must abide digestion  
So I must do or I come to eloquence   

Cunning must I have first of all  
Or that I come to perseveration  
Put forth I will and than somewhat call  
Learning with good deliberation  
And than I will with good intention  
Note some works of god almighty  
desiring to come unto his region  
Ever there for to dwell perdurably   

¶ Here endeth a full doleful complaint  
Of many a man of there one concord  
Looking with face pale wan and faint  
Cursing the time of their accord  
Fynysssed and done the year of our lord  
A thousand. CCCCC. and xxxv at London  
imprinted also by Wynkyn de word  
In fletestete at the sign of the son    


winkin· de· word  
W C   printer's or publisher's device