¶ Here beginneth the complaint of them that been to late married ⸫  
 a young lady waves to two gentlemen   


AFter plays sports and dances of solace  
We must think to come to prosperity  
After that god of his haboundaunte grace  
Will provide how that I may govern me  
In mind I purpose wedded to be  
In a better life may no man live in  
Than to be married and life out of sin   

All young lovers should them so affyle  
That they love truly and so for to live  
With ardaunte wit and perfit style  
All unto goodness themself for to give  
Than may they be sure that they shall thrive  
So will I live in marriage clean and pure  
To gods behove & increasing of nature   

To long have I lived without any make  
All to long have I used my young age  
I will all for go and a wife to me take  
For to increase both our twoos lineage  
For saint Iohn saith that he is sage  
That against his will doth him govern  
And our lords precepts himself for to learn   

There is no greater pleasure than for to have  
A wife that is full of prudence and wisdom  
Alas for love night I am in point to rave  
These cursed old men have an ill custom  
Women for to blame/ both all and some  
For that thy can not their minds full fill  
Therefore they speak of them but all ill   

Now sith that I have my time used  
For to follow/ my foolish pleasances  
And have myself oftentimes sore abused  
At plaes and sports/ pomps and dances  
Spending gold & silver and great finances  
For fault of a wife the cause is all  
To late married/ men may me call   

The holy sacrament of marriage  
Before holy church was ordained  
For to increase human lineage  
He that doth other wise is not received  
Before god/ thus was man guerdoned  
With woman for to live at his owene will  
He is a fool that else where doth nature spill   

I have done as the labourer doth  
That sometime is pained with trobyll great  
For he loseth his pain for certain sooth  
That in the high way sotweth his wheat  
Well I perceive that I died me forget  
Or that I put me in to household  
I have lost my seed my work is but cold   

Women and maidens/ both good and ill  
With me I held myself for to please  
The one died rebel/ the other abode still  
Other made me well at mine ease  
cupido than came me for to cease  
Venus lighted her brand of fire  
For such service such guerdov & hire  
Late marry.   

Thus ravished in this said abusion  
I was taken with a cauteious wile  
That me thought to make conclusion  
Of my wedding within a while  
But yet died they me beguile  
They caused me for to make great dispense  
For I was no sooner wed through my negligence   

I would do make commune I iwis  
My proper goods so was I light  
Of wit and was all ways ready as is  
A man of arms in point to fight  
Other whiles I went me right  
In to places myself solysyting  
But neither frequented that being   

If I with held any pretty one  
sweetly enough she made me cheer  
saying that she loved no person  
But me/ and thereto she died swear  
But when I went fro that place there  
Unto another she died as much  
For they love none but for their poche   

I had five or two companions  
That haunted with me every hour  
But I have known to such garsons  
In secret they have done succour  
if that they enjoyed my paramour  
With great pain durst I it to them say  
Force me was to keep counsel alway   

I wot well that I have right sore varied  
For to have willed for to live alone  
For to have been to late married  
For that I have herd so long a gone  
For she that abandoneth to more than one  
I dare will swear and there with it sustyne  
That she abandoneth unto a dosayne   

foolish regards full of vanity  
I kest over swart and eke contravers  
To day I had peas rest and unite  
To morrow I had plete & process divers  
Break I died doors and fenesters  
Sargeauntes met me by the way  
And imprisoned both me and my pray   

Subject I was to a meinie of bawds  
And unto a great company of brothels  
Which to me brought an heap of ribalds  
Drunkards that loved well good morsels  
Knaves & thieves that would pike quarrels  
I gave them clothes I knew not their use  
There is none so subtle but love doth him abuse   

Alas I have all my time spent and lost  
Which for to recover is impossible  
Spent have I nature at great expense and cost  
Against the right canon and of the holy bible  
offence done to god never ceasyble  
In danger for to forfeit both soul & life  
By default for to have taken unto me a wife   

Like unto a best and horse or an ass  
That careth not for to tumble in the fen  
if that any with me playing there was  
An other to help I would go then  
more gallants a man should see than ren  
After a wentche and leap and hytche  
Than dogs do about a farowinge bitch   

She would to no manner a man escondyte  
Each one she appetyted for to receive  
Taking therein pleasure and delight  
To the end their silver for to have  
But in the stead children to conceive  
Botches pocks/ and gouts they engender  
In heads and in legs and in every menbre   

In this manner of sickness many there be  
That been Impotentes hanged and deed  
But little semblance they make on to see  
Taken as they been/ not begging their breed  
Hast you to be wedded thus I you read  
Unto the end that ye be not cappable  
Of this great danger/ deadly and uncurable   

Now am I out of this danger so alenge  
Wherefore I an glad it for to persever  
Long about have I been me for to range  
But it is better to late than to be never  
Certes I was not in my life till hither  
So full of joy that doth my heart in spire  
Wedded folk have time at their desire   

Out am I now of thought dole and moan  
living ever more right amorously  
For I have a wife by myself alone  
At my commandment both late and early  
And if it happen that I look heavily  
My wife me kisseth & than she me colleth  
And right woman there she me consolleth   

To that I will have done she is ready  
Never will she against my will say  
She doth to me the best that she can truly  
Nothing of my volenty she doth me nay  
If I be angered or troubled any way  
Ready she is to change my purpose  
Unto the end that I may have all my repose   

I have me all to long refrained  
Furnysshe I can not to all her pleasyre  
And for to promise her I am constrained  
More than I can do to her desire  
She appetiteth it moche & doth me inspire  
gorgeously showing her fair corsage  
But I am all caduc and weary for age   

I ought for to have by this many children  
Some sport and play & some at fire sitting  
Other in the field to shoot leap and ren  
And some hardy/ some merry/ & triumphing  
In whom I should have all my delighting  
But to late married without doubt  
May never see his children ren out   

My wife showed to me her proper dug  
On the morning her delight for to make  
And to have me for to play nugge a nugge  
Alas I would it full fain forsake  
But force it is such lessons to take  
And to rise up early as I think best  
In the morning and go unto my rest   

When I see her lie in sheets fair and white  
As red as the button of the rose  
With good will would I take than delight  
Nevertheless I let her have her repose  
For it is force that I cast again on the close  
And to make a pause than I am conjoint  
For thinstrument is not yet well in point   

But yet sometime I me constrain  
To take nature solace thus think I  
But all suddenly I me refrain  
For I do fere to be to soon weary  
And than I sleep with courage all dreary  
And yet am I/ I can not pass  
Upon women more than ever I was   

Constrained I am to be full of jalousy  
saying that I can not content her mind  
touching the play of love all softly  
Often enough the experience to find  
She me assayeth and turneth by kind  
Casting unto me her begging leg  
But I do sleep I care not for such a beg   

With her eyen pleasant casting a regard  
In chasting a laughter a merous  
Than with a pretty smile she doth me lard  
And that maketh me some what joyous  
But coming to a bed delicious  
For to hold the spear in a full hand  
It plieth and faileth for will not stand   

When I heard her babble and language  
Her gentle terms spoken so properly  
I do me wish for to be in to the age  
Of eighteen/ neyntene/ or four and twenty  
Such assaults than give would I  
That for it should have no need to crave  
Of the great pleasure that she should have   

If that she go to banquets and dances  
She doth none offence therein certain  
Needs she must have her pleasances  
In some place to make her glad and fain  
Wherefore I dare well say and sustain  
That after with me I would have her led  
If any sooner I had been to her wed   

We twain should have all our yongenesse  
After marriage custom and right  
Passed in joy/ solace/ and gladness  
And is wherefore I have me pight  
Force it is to me that the fire be night  
That at a need I can not have quenched  
To late married is for to be complained  
Late marry.   

It is said that man in servitude  
Him putteth/ when he doth to woman bend  
He ne hath but only habitude  
Unto her the which well doth him tend  
Who will to household comprehend  
And there a bout studieth in youth always  
He shall have honour in his old days   

Some children unto the courts haunts  
And been purveyed of benefices  
Some haunteth markets & be merchants  
buying and selling their merchandises  
Or else constituted in offices  
Their faders and moders have great solace  
That to late married by no way hast   

I bewail the time that is so spent  
That I ne me hasted for to wed  
For I shall have heritage and rent  
Both gold and silver and kindred  
But sith that our lord hath ordained  
That I this sacrament take me upon  
I will keep it truly at all season   

Theophrastus us showeth in his prose  
That in marriage all is out of tune  
So doth also the romanuce of the rose  
Composed by master Iohan de mehune  
Yet nevertheless it is all common  
That they never were in bond of marriage  
Wherefore at all aventures is their language   

Matheolus that was holden so wise  
For to blame womem was all his ebate  
Suppose that he was married twice  
For he was so old that bald was his pate  
For he came the last time so very late  
That in him there was no puissance  
Amity/ solace/ joy ne pleasure   

But when that a man may do no more  
He blame that/ that he can not do  
To late wedded the surplus therefore  
May not furnish as other may do  
For when he weaned to satisfy lo  
Nature at need will not him prevail  
Such wenes do to well that other while fail   

If that there be any tryfelers  
That have willed for to blame marriage  
I dare well say that they been but liars  
Or else god failed in the first age  
Adam beareth witness and tesmonage  
Married he was and comen we been  
God died choice marriage unto all men   

Now sith it is thus befall  
Why than ought we it to blame  
Us for to put we been holden all  
So should we always hold with the same  
Or else holy scripture sayeth it is shame  
And that alleggeth all predycacours  
Our lord god hateth all fornicators  
Late marry.   

I am now sorry that I have no rathe  
Put myself in to marriages rout  
For many a foolish look it hath  
It hath me cost/ here and there about  
But yet my soul is in great doubt  
For god fornycatures punisheth  
And out of this realm he them banyssheth   

There is no man living that can commit  
Withouten the work of nature  
But he in marriage doth commyse it  
As us telleth the holy scripture  
It is than folly to any creature  
Thus for to blame his treason  
For any manner of foolish opinion   

All they that by their subtle arts  
Hath willed for to blame marriage  
I will sustain that they be bastards  
Or at least way an evil courage  
For to say that therein is servage  
In marriage/ but I it reny  
For therein is but human company   

If there be ill women and rebel  
shrewd despitous & eke felonious  
There be other fair & do full well  
Proper/ gentle/ lusty/ and joyous  
That been full of grace and virtuous  
They been not all born under a signet  
Happy is he that a good one can get   

To late married now help than me  
To make my sorrows and complaints  
For by my faith I swear to the  
I have suffered many dolours & crayntes  
And have sustained more attaints  
Than ever deed what after the hound  
At dispense I lived & that have I found   

Galantes plain ye the time that ye have lost  
Mary you be time as the wise man saith  
Tossed I have been fro pillar to post  
In commysing natures work always  
I have passed full many quasy days  
That now unto good I can not mate  
For marry I died myself to late   

richly in a ray ought for to go  
These women that be obedient  
Better than these cursed wives do  
That been not to their husbands patient  
To take a wife was mine intent  
God's laws to keep and them to observe  
Saving of nature and heaven to preserve   

Afore that ever I was married  
Bordeles I haunted and places of infame  
But I am now unto a wife allayed  
The world to hold & honour gods neme  
That wicked man I hold to blame  
That followeth evil rule and will not amend  
Unto his souls heath and honour to pretend  
Late marry.   

When a man to old age is faden and fall  
Learn this lesson hearken my sentence  
Few friends meeteth he with all  
That will to his poverty take any intelligence  
Woe worth than cry they of the expense  
That they have spent unto youths lust  
And now they must die for hunger & thirst   

Better it is in youth a wife for to take  
And live with her to god's pleasance  
Than to go in age for god's sake  
In worldly sorrow and perturbance  
For youths love and utterance  
And than to die at the last and  
And be dampened in hell with the foul fiend   


¶ The author.  
Rychenes in youth with good governance  
Often helpeth age when youth is gone his gate  
Both young & old must have their sustenance  
Ever in this world so fekyll and rethrograte  
Right as an ampte the which all gate  
Trusseth and carrieth for his lives food  
Eny thing that which him seemeth to be good   

christian folk ought for to have  
Open hearts unto god almight  
Putring in their mind thyr soul to save  
learning to come unto the eternal light  
And keep well their marriage & troth plight  
Nothing alway of their last end  
During their lives how they the time spend   

Here endeth the complaint of to late married  
For spending of time or they a board  
The said holy sacrament have to long tarried  
Human nature tassemble & it to accord  
imprinted in Fleetstreet by winkin de word  
Dwelling in the famous city of London  
His house in the same at the sign of the Son.    
¶ FINIS.   


winkin de word   printer's device of Wynkyn de Worde  printer's device of Wynkyn de Worde 
winkin de word