University of Virginia Library

Ne yet thou wouldest once haue made
thy loytering boy to pull
The vdder which doth guide the shippe,
or els to hall the skull
The which hath beaten foming seas
a thousand times twise tolde,
In Hyems ragged, gagged frosts
when it was bitter colde,
Thou little thoughtest on thy freend
when thou on hatches low
Didst sleepe thy fill, all for thine ease
it was, that I do know,
All voyde of care thou wast in pup,
alone there didst thou sit
Like prince on throne, the master he
belike did thee permit,
When mates of thine, ech one wer fayne,
to gather on a flocke,
Bicause that surging Seas did rise,
and tooke them to their cock:
Their little pretty frysking bote
which tottereth vp and downe,
In hope to finde some ease when as
they should espye the towne,
Wheras they might haue some refuge,
and succor for to saue
Their weeried corps, which only thing
it was that they did craue.
But when that darkned cloudes wer gone,
and all things els did cleere,
Then mate to mate eche other calde,
and sayd, ho mate what cheere?
And yf you be all well, and as
I hope you be, with speede
Set vp your sayles (thus do you say)
to go we had but neede?
Then euery man doth hale and pull
the Halliards all a row:
Beholde thy foresayle it is vp,
now Aulter do thou blow
A huffing gayle: and by and by
bicause thou woldst be gone,
The foretop and the mayne top sayle
thou placest euen anone:
Yet must thou haue thy spirit sayle out,
all onely to be blowne,
Thy Mysien yet must not be left
behinde, to well is knowne.
Thy roaring cannons and thy chens
be layde on euery side,
Yea bases, foulers, quarter slings
which often hath been tride:
Thy Fakens, Taucknets, minions all
a row thou hast them layde,
Caleuer and thy hargabus,
which lately hath been made
All onely for to keepe me from
thy rotten Oyster bote,
Though litile I haue sayde (my freend)
full well I could it note.
But for all that, thou seest how good
the Gods haue been to mee,
To let me once approch the coast
where as I might thee see.
Bar.
Alasse why dost thou me suspect
of such a haynous cryme,
It was not long of me (in faith)
that I went at this time,
Full sore agaynst my will it was
that I should leaue behinde
Me, thee, who as a Pithias
continually I finde:
It was not the cruell tyrant Turks
which only did vs chase,
From all along the fierie Seas
till we did come in place,
Where as a mate of ours did sound
foure hundred fadams deepe
In brackishe Seas: so at the laste
we chaunced for to creepe
To this same village towne, wheras
you founde me all alone:
Whereas I haue acquayntance small,
not being knowne of one.
But euery day since I came foorth
still thought I on thy name,
I thought vpon our countrey rude,
still praying for the same,
Bicause I knew thy blessed corps
had there his lodging place,
In hope agayne that thou woldst looke
my Picture on the face,
Which hangs in chamber thine bedeckt,
then wouldst thou haue in minde
(I would suppose) Barnarde le vayne,
which vnto thee did binde
With faith and truth, a louing freend,
and faithfull for to bee,
So long as that the gods should graunt
Osselly mine to see.
No sooner had Aurora come
but vp I would me hye
Into the hyest place of shippe,
and there I would discrie
The tumbling whales, the Dolphins huge
as I in Barke did stande.
If wishes would haue then preuaylde
I would haue been on lande,
At Brownbread crust with Galfrydo,
then for to haue the wine
That lay in ship (which Bacchus brewde)
or els the biskets fine.
Thus would I vewe and dayly thinke
that thou wouldst after hye,
Now would I thinke vnto my selfe
thy shippe for to espye.
But all for nought the longer I
did gaze in open ayre:
The farder still thou wast from me
so muche more was my care,
When as I had in memorie
our parents that be dead,
Our mothers kind which pampered vs
and long ago had fed
Both thee and me with milke so sweete,
then was I like a stone
Then was my hart euen like to burst
my senses they were gone,
My lights, my lungs, so vexed were,
that none had thought that I
Should euer haue skapt such trimbling fits
but presently should dy,
On salt sea flouds they minded all,
and purposely were bent,
To hang a warrant on my necke,
and streight for to haue sent
Me to the bote that Caron guides,
the ferry man of hell:
For they supposed that I would not
any longer with them dwell.
And yet for all these miseries
that I haue waltered in,
To charge me with vngratefulnesse
me thinke you do not lin:
But if thou beest a freend to me
as thou doest say thou art,
Seeme not to lay them to my charge,
but let them all depart
Quite from thy hart: behold, these words
he had no sooner spoke,
But for to worke him iniury
vile fortune dooth prouoke.
Now doth she turne hir tottering wheels
she looketh crabbed sowre,
Now dooth she bend hir cursed browes
now dooth she pout and loure,
Now may you see this fickle dame
the Camelions part to play.
How she will change in sundry formes
a thousand times a day,
How she doth play the wether cocke
that turns with euery winde,
To some she will be foolishe stout,
to other some as kinde:
O that she can so flatter men
with graunting their desire,
And will not suffer them to cleue
to that they do aspire.
To whome in all their lyfe almost
hir friendship doth she showe:
But when he thinkes him best of all,
hath then his ouerthrowe?
I pray you did she euer yet
aduaunce a man on earth,
Whiche wholly put his trust on hir
had not vntymely death?
Hath she not taken many men
on hye from glimmering gleame?
Did she not slay king Priams babes
and spoyle him of his realme?
Dooth she not play suche prety prankes
continually with some?
Yes that she doth: When that they thinke
theyr blessed state is come.
But see the chaunce that hapned nowe
euen in the selfe same streete
Where they did hoste, two enimies
at that same tyme did meete,
Who when they sawe eche other, gan
their shiuering blades to drawe:
And to be shorte, the one dyd thruste
the other through the mawe,
The guttes, the lungs, the intrayls all,
but streyght away he went
That didde the facte: But messengers
immediately were sent
With bilbow blades, and rusty billes,
to bidde him come and dine
In gayle, where as perchaunce he should
fynde little store of wine
For to digest the waightie boltes.
Thus came they in a route,
Tom with a clubbe, Dicke with a spitte,
twoo propre men and stoute.
They seeke as men should looke a hare,
to let the greedie hounde,
Haue now a snatche, and then a snatche
to bring hir to the grounde.
But all for nought, they founde him not
whiche onely did the facte:
In no place coulde they him espie,
but backe ageyne they packt,
Where as they sawe in myddest of streete
Galfrido looking out
From wyndowe hye (who maruelling
what made them so to shoute
And make a noyse (with cryes so shryll.)
they did him straight espie,
That he should be the murtherer,
some there began to trie:
Upon the which, they entred in,
the host they first espyde,
More bones they made not with him there,
both hand, and foote they tyed
Him seely man (without offence)
with halters good and strong,
Which fitter were for these same knaues
that did him open wrong:
Then vp they do ascend on hye
where as these two did walke,
They ment no gyle, they thought no hurt,
no suche thing did they talke,
They tooke them both, like seely lambs
in arme in arme they went
To prison strong, wheras their Oste
was fully that way bent.
Such comely persons to behold
as they along did go,
Would make a man as hard as flinte
to melt, my selfe I know:
But for to thinke what piteous lookes
they shewed as they went,
Agayne to see what smiling cheere
the one the other lent,
To see what wonderous changes was
betweene these troubled three,
Tho that I liude seuen hundred yeres
the like I should not see.
Assoone as they to prison were
committed one by one,
The multitude diminished,
then were they left alone
Among the rustie iangling chaynes
where vermin dooth abound
In dungeon deepe (where light as yet
some thinke they haue not found)
Where Todes do kepe, and adders dwell,
where as with vgly paw
And greedy corps, the serpent foule
in fetters he dooth gnaw
The seely soule which is bewrapt
in many tangled snares,
The simple man, whose troubled head
is fixt with many cares:
I thinke the foule infernall feends
not halfe so ill do dwell,
Nor they that dwell in Tartar deepe
inhabite suche a hell.
I thinke, not Tantal, Pelops sonne
so cruelly was paynde,
As these same three, the which my muse
already heere hath faynde:
Nor Titiōs (in iudgement mine)
did euer feele such payne,
Nor he that brought to mountaynes top
the stone that fell agayne,
Ne yet the tyred Byllides
that hales the buckets twayne
In drawing water, which returns,
as Poets they do fayne:
Tho Prometheus stands so still
At cruell pinching racke,
With hande and foote beset so wide
till all his bones do cracke.
Though these same troubled souls thēselus
suche spitefull payne endure,
Yet may they nought at all compare
with these (that I am sure)
For paynefull pangs: but Fame she hath
nowe sounded farre and neere
This miserable cursed chaunce:
but when that they did heare
Which wer their mates, the hollow sighes
yea euery man did fette,
The trickling drops of many teares
to shead they nothing lette:
They houle and cry full piteously,
and euermore they bande
That cruell cursed Esterne winde
which brought them to the lande.
They teare their herish mantels gray,
they pull in peeces fast,
Their gally breeches all a rowe,
they were so sore agast:
Who so had seene the Marriners
their seely flesh to teare,
Himselfe would thinke but that they had
been voyde of euery care:
They lost their senses all at once,
their faces all were pale
And wan, to see the fortune that
these men should come in gayle,
Not being yet one houre ago
since that they came on shore:
If by their harts they might haue come
I thinke they would haue tore
In peeces small, they were so vext
that instant present time,
That none had thought that euer they
the shrowdes agayne would clime:
Nor yet haue sayled away with barke,
they were in suche a case:
Some drew no breath, why? they wer dead
three houres in that place:
They were as wilde as hares that be
ybred in bushes thicke,
Or els thē Roe which hedges hye
to leape he dooth not sticke.
Thus are the Sea men troubled to
as well as other bee,
They feele as bitter pangs, or worse
as any of the three.
Yet reason somewhat taketh place,
and calleth backe agayne
These troubled soules which lately were
in miserable payne,
Their wits to them be now restorde,
they haue their memorie,
They do pretend to go and see
this wofull tragidie:
Where when they came in market place
they saw the gallow tree,
The scaffold where the iudges seat
appoynted was to bee,
The bar, wher they shuld plead their cause,
yf giltie they were found,
The Sargiants with the yeomens ayde
which stoode about them round,
Should lead them to the tree a crosse
the which the hangman made
The day afore, in hope that he
twise double should be payde
For this his worke, for he doth say
that time doth him prouoke,
That now the pigge is proffered
to holde vp straight the poke:
For what so euer that they be
that will not when they may,
The Prouerbe hath him tolde that when
he would he shall haue nay.
Now euery thing prouided was,
the iudge him selfe comes in,
The gayler he commaunded was
that he should neuer lin,
Till that the prisoners were brought,
their iudgement for to haue
Aright, which they them selues that time
most willingly did craue:
They came full weakly God doth know,
the one the other led,
They lookt as tho that Atrapos
had cut their fatall threed,
Their faces shewed as tho they had
lien in their graue a yeare,
To loke vpon them stedfastly
eache one did stand in feare,
So vgly was their looke when as
they came from dungeon deepe,
They were so faynt through feeblenesse
that they could scarsely creepe,
But by the stony walles, which would
not suffer them to fall,
Lest that perchaunce the stubborne bolts
their feeble legs might gall:
There might you see three women, that
were quicke with child in sound,
Two men, a boy, a mayde, there
starke dead that time was found:
Ye might beholde the Marriners
how they did tremble fast,
What feruent fayth they suffered
till these same three were past.
Ay me alas (quoth one) that I
should euer see the day,
Wo worth the time that I was borne
an other he can say:
The third he saide that he was curst
the worser was his lucke,
When as his nurse she gaue to him
hir puffed teat to sucke:
The fourth he said, I was bewitcht,
when first I handled knife,
I think my crooked armes wer curst
it did not rid my life.
What wicked fortune had we when
we scaped in the night,
(What made vs all to cry aloude,
now gallows clayme thy right)
When we wer almost drounde in
deepest Sea by Libia?
What euill chaunce had we to scape
the straights of Affrica?
Ther houls the ragged boy a mayne
with open throte a loude,
His voyce so shrill ascended straight
vnto the hyest cloude
That placed was in ayre, beset
with starres on euery side,
Or wher the glorious Phœbus runs
his course) so loude he cride,
With cares he was so nipt at hart,
that all things there he curst.
He liude not long, incontinent
amongst them all he burst.
Gaulfry do went before the Iudge
all feeble as he might,
Barnarde le Vayne trudged after fast,
he was not out of sight.
The Iayler led the inholder,
which was in shackle strong,
The quest did quit him by and by,
he taried there not long.
Of which his carefull wife was glad,
of mirth was all hir song,
The hangman held his head aside,
he thought they did him wrong.
Barnarde le vayne he pleaded harde.
it did vpon him lye,
That he was giltlesse of the deede
eche one began to crye:
The iudge himselfe could nothing finde,
ne could the rest that went
Upon that matter, harde to skanne,
but wholly they were bent
To sette him free: And as they did
who taried for to heare
Galfrydos case, like to a freende
as heere it dooth appeare.
Galfrydo he was called out
his iudgement for to know,
His hart was gone, he shaketh fast,
he trembleth as the dow,
To see the cruell lookes, the which
the Iudge did to him giue.
When Iupiter was driuen out
of heauen by cruell feare
Of Ziphoon, that gyant huge,
which did approche him neare:
At that same time, I meane, when as
full secretly he came
To Egipt, where in forme and shape,
was like vnto a ram:
Iuno she was made a Cowe,
Appollo was a crow,
They stoode not halfe so much in feare
as Galfryde I do know:
Nor yet Dianas buttocks went
so fast a pitte a patte,
When she was driuen out of heauen,
and then became a Catte:
Nor Venus, who doth dayly make
yong men hir birds to wish,
Was not so feard (as this our freend)
when she was made a fish:
Ne yet the mery Mercury
which often would haue playde
On Oten pipe, when Ibis he
a pretty birde was made.
They needed not once to haue left
the heauens for such a knaue:
No more this wight he needed not
to feare, which will not saue
Him selfe (as it doth seeme to me)
but graunteth to the fact:
And saide vnto the Iudge aloude,
I onely did the act.
At which his freend all in a maze,
began thus for to say:
Ye Patrons graue and wise; giue eare
to me I do you pray:
This man (O noble Senatours)
did neuer do the deede,
It was my selfe I do confesse,
no longer now you neede
To toyle and moyle in searching foorth
this matter, which is playne.

Gal.
O hold thy peace thou trustie freend,
thou speakest but in vayne,
It was euen I that did the deede,
if Iudges right they be,
Let this my freend go packe away,
the law must go on me:
Offender there must be but one,
all you do know the same
Afore you all, the murderer
my selfe I do proclayme.

Bar.
Not so my freend, but onely I
whose craysed corps with stroke,
In sunder quite, in midst of streete,
with bloodie sword I broke.

Gal.
I did the deede, yf that you meane
the fellow for to take.

Bar.
Thou didst not, wherof leaue of
thy forging tales to make.
O constant man that euer was,
thy fame will neuer dye,
O noble hart that dwels in brest
where such true loue doth lye.