The Exaletation of ALE, The anciant Lickquor of this REALM.  
OR, A clear definition of its efficatious operation in several Pates, Arts, and Professions.  
July 30 London, Printed by T. Badger, 1646.   

THE Exaletation of Ale.  

Not drunken, nor sober, but neighbour to both  
I met with a friend in Alesbury Vale;  
He saw by my face that I was in the case  
To speak no great harm of a pot of good Ale.   

Then did he me greet and said since we meet  
(and he put me in mind of the name of the Dale)  
For Alesbury sake some pains I would take  
and not bury the praise of a pot of good Ale.   

The more to procure me, than did he adjure me;  
if the Ale I drank last were nappy and stolen;  
To do it his right and stir up my spirit  
and fall to commend a pot of etc.   

Quoth I to commend it I dare not begin,  
lest therein my credit might happen to fail  
For many men now do count it a sin  
but once to look towards a etc.   

Yet I care not a pin for I see no such sin  
nor any thing else my courage to quail  
For this we do find that take it in kind  
much Virtue there is in a pot etc.   

And I mean not the taste, though thereby much graced,  
nor the merrygodowne without pull or hale,  
Perfuming the throat when the stomach's afloat  
with the fragrant sent of etc.   

Nor yet the delight that comes to the sight  
to see how it flowers and mantles in graile;  
As green as a leek with a smile in the cheek  
the true orient colour of a etc.   

But I mean the mind and the good it doth find,  
not only the body so feeble and frail  
For body and soul may bless the black bowl  
since both are beholden to a etc.   

For when heaviness the mind doth oppress,  
and sorrow and grief the heart do assail,  
No remedy quicker than to take off your liquor  
and to wash away cares with a etc.   

The Widow that buried her husband of late  
will soon have forgotten to weep and to wail,  
And think every day twain till she marry again,  
read her but the contents of a etc.   

It is like a belly blast to a cold heart  
and warms and engenders the spirits vitale,  
To keep them from damage all spri'ts own their homage  
to the spr'it of the buttery a etc.   

And down to the legs this virtue doth go,  
and to a bad foot man is as good as a sail,  
When it fills the veins and makes light the brains  
no lackey so nimble as a etc.   

The naked complains not for want of a coat,  
nor on the cold weather will once turn his tail,  
All the way as he goes he cuts the wind with his nose,  
if he be but well wrapped in a etc.   

The hungry man takes no thought for his meat  
though his stomach would brook a ten penny nail;  
He quite forgets hunger and thinks on it no longer,  
if he touch but the spark of a etc.   

The poor man will praise it, so hath he good cause,  
that all the year eats neither Partridge nor Quail,  
But sets up his rest and makes up his feast  
with a crust of brown bread and a &c   

The Shepherd, the Sour, the Thresher, the Mower,  
the one with his scith, the other with his flail,  
Take them out by the poll on the peril of my soul  
all will hold up their hands to a etc.   

The black smith whose bellows all summer do blow  
with the fire in his face still, without ere a vale,  
Though his throat be full dry he will tell you no lie,  
but where you may be sure of a etc.   

Who ever denies it the prisoner will praise it,  
that beg at the grate and lie in the goal:  
For even in their fetters they think themselves better  
may they get but a two penny black pot of Ale.   

The beggar whose portion is always his prayer,  
not having a tatter to hang on his tail,  
Is as rich in his rags as the churl in his bags,  
if he once but shakes hands with a &   

It drives his poverty clean out of mind  
forgetting his brown bread, his Wallet and Mail  
He walks in the house like a sixfooted louse,  
if he once be enriched with a etc.   

And he that doth dig in the ditches all day,  
and wearies himself quite at the plough tail,  
Will speak no less things then of Queens and of King's  
i● he touch but the top of a etc.   

It is a Whetstone to a blunt wit  
and makes a supply where nature doth fail  
The dullest wit soon will look quite through the Moon  
if his temples be wet with a etc.   

Then Dick to his darling full boldly dares speak  
though before (silly fellow) his courage did quail  
He gives her the smooch with his hand on his pouch  
if he meet by the way with a etc.   

And it makes the Carter a Courtier straightway:  
with rhetorical terms he will tell his tale  
With curtises great store and his cap up before  
being schooled but a little with a etc.   

The old man whose tongue wags faster than his teeth  
(for old age by nature doth drivel and draile)  
Will frigg and fling like a dog in a string  
if he warm his cold blood with a etc.   

And the good old Clerk whose sight waxeth dark  
and ever he thinks the print is too small,  
He will see every letter and say service better  
if he glaze but his eyes with a etc.   

The cheek and the jaws to commend it have cause;  
for where they were late but even won and pale,  
They will get them a colour no crimson is fuller  
by the true dye and tincture of a etc.   

Mark her enemies though they think themselves wise,  
how megre they look with how low a wail,  
How their cheeks do fall without spr'its at all  
that alien their minds from a etc.   

And now that the grains do work in my brains,  
me thinks I were able to give by retale  
Commodities store a dozen and more  
that flow to mankind from a pot etc.   

The Muses would muse any should it misuse.  
For it makes them to sing like a Nightingale,  
With a lofty trim note having washed their throat  
with the Caballine spring of a etc.   

And the Musician of any condition  
it will make him to reach to the top of his scale,  
It will clear his pipes and moisten his lights  
if he drink alternatim a etc.   

The Poet divine that cannot reach wine,  
because that his money doth many times fail,  
Will hit on the veins to make a good streigne  
if he be but inspired with a etc.   

For ballads Elderton never had peer  
how went his wit in them with how merry a gale?  
And with all his sails up, had he been at the cup  
and washed his beard with a etc.   

And the power of it shows no whit less in prose,  
it will fill one's phrase and set forth his tale;  
Fill him but a bowl it will make his tongue troll,  
for flowing speech flows from a etc.   

And Master Philosopher if he drink his part,  
will not trifle his time in the husk or the shalt,  
But go to the kernel by the depth of his art  
to be found in the bottom of a etc.   

Give a scholar of Oxford a pot of sixteens  
and put him to prove that an Ape hath a tail,  
And sixteen times better his wit will be seen  
if you fetch him from Botley a etc.   

Thus it helps speech and wit, and it hurts not a whit,  
but rather doth further the virtue's morale:  
Then think it not much if a little I touch  
the good moral parts of a etc.   

To the church and religion it is a good friend,  
or else our forefathers their wisdom did fail,  
That at every mile next to the church stile,  
set a consecrate house to a etc.   

But now as they say beer bears all away,  
the more is the pity if right might prevail;  
For with this same beer came up heresies here,  
the old Catholic drink is a etc.   

The Churches much own as we all do know,  
for when they be dropping and ready to fall;  
By a Whitsun or a Church ale up again they shall go  
and owe their repairing to a etc.   

Truth will do it right, it bringeth truth to light,  
and many bad matters it helps to reveile,  
For they that will drink will speak what they think;  
Tom tell troth lies hid in a etc.   

It is justice's friend, she will it commend,  
For all is here served by measure and tale,  
Now, true tale and good measure, are justice's treasure  
and much to the praise of a etc.   

And next I allege it is fortitudes edge,  
for a very cowherd that shrinks like a snail,  
Will swear and will swagger and out goes his dagger,  
of A be but armed with a &c   

Yea Ale hath her Knights and Squires of degree  
that never wore corslet nor yet shirt of mail,  
But have fought their fights all twixt the pot and the wall  
when once they were dubbed with a etc.   

And (sure) it will make a man suddenly wise  
yer while was scarce able to tell a right tale,  
It will open his jaw he will tell you the law  
as made a right Preacher of a etc.   

Or he that will make a bargain to gain  
in buying or setting his goods forth to sale,  
Must not plod in the mire but sit by the fire  
and seal up his match with a etc.   

But for soberness needs must I confess  
the matter goes hard and few do prevail  
Not to go to deep but temper to keep  
such is the attractive of a etc.   

But here's an amends which will make all friends  
and ever doth tend to the best avail,  
If you take it too deep it will make you but sleep,  
so comes no great hurt o● a &c,   

If reeling they happen to fall to the ground,  
the fall is not great they may hold by the rail,  
If into the water they cannot be drowned,  
for that gift is given to a etc.   

If drinking about they chance to fall out  
fear not the alarame, though flesh be but frail,  
It will prove but some blows or at most a bloody nose  
and friends again strait with a etc.   

And Physic will favour Ale as it is bound  
and be against beer both tooth and nail,  
They send up and down all over the Town  
to get for their Patients a &c.   

Their Aleberries caudles and possets each one  
and sillabubs made at the milking pale,  
Although they be many beer comes not in any  
but all are composed with a etc.   

And in very deed, the hop's but a weed  
brought over against law and here set to sale;  
Would the law were renewed and no more beer brewed,  
but all good men betake them to a etc.   

The law, that, will take it under her wing  
for at every law day or moot of the hale  
One is sworn to serve our Sovereign the King  
in the ancient office of a Conner of Ale   

There's never a Lord of Manor or of Town  
by strand or by land by hill or by dale,  
But think it a franchise and flower of the Crown  
to hold the assize of a etc.   

And though their lies writs from the Court Paramount  
to stay the proceeding of the Court Paravaile,  
Law favours it so you may come you may go,  
there lies no prohibition to a &c   

They talk much of state both early and late,  
but if Gascoigne and Spain their wine should but fail,  
No remedy then with us Englishmen  
but the State it must stand by a etc.   

And they that sit by it are good men and quiet,  
no dangerous plotters in the commonweal  
Of treason or murder, for they never go further  
than to call for and pay for a etc.   

To the praise of Cambivius that good British King  
that devised for his nation (by the Welshman's tale)  
Seventeen hundred years before Christ did spring  
the happy invention of a etc.   

But he was a Paynim and Ale than was rife,  
yet after Christ came and bid us all hail;  
St. David tid never trinke Peer in her life  
put all Cwwrwwhibley a etc.   

The North they will praise it and praise it with passion  
where every River gives name to a Dale;  
There are yet men living that are of tho'ld fashion  
no Nectar they know but a etc.   

The Picts and the Scots for Ale were at lots,  
so high was the skill and so kept under seal;  
The Picts were undone slain each mother's son  
for not teaching the Scots to make Hetheraeale   

But hither or thither it skills not much whether,  
for drink must be had, men live not by ke●le  
Nor by Haverhannocks nor by Haveriannocks;  
the thing the Scots live by is a etc.   

Now if you will say it I will not deny it,  
that many a man it brings to his bale  
Yet what fairer end can one wish to his friend  
then to die by the dart of a etc.   

Yet let not the innocent bear any blame,  
it is their own doing to break over the pale,  
And neither the malt nor the good wife in fault  
if any be potted with a etc.   

They tell of whom it kills, but say not a word  
how many a man liveth both sound and whole,  
Though he drink no beer any day in the year,  
by the Radical humour of a etc.   

But to speak of killing that am I not willing,  
for that in a manner were but to rail;  
But Beer hath its name cause it brings to the beer,  
therefore well far say I to a etc.   

Too many I wis with their death proved this,  
and therefore if ancient records do not fail  
He that first brewed the hop was rewarded with a rope  
and found his beer far more bitter then Ale.   

O Ale ab alendo thou liquor of life  
that I had but a mouth as big as a Whale;  
For mine is too little to touch the least tittle  
that belongs to the praise of a etc.   

Thus I trow some Virtues I have marked you out  
and never a vice in all this long trail;  
But that after the pot there cometh a shot  
and that's th'only blot of a etc.   

With that my friend said that blot will I bear  
you have done very well it is time to strick sale;  
we'll have six pots more though I die on the score  
to make all this good of a pot of good Ale.   
FINIS.