University of Virginia Library

Trudge little letter, thou thinkest none yll,
Go do thy dutie, all things to fulfill.

Seignor Bernardo to his mystresse Charina.

Nowe it is made, yet dooth hee doubte
that this will not preuayle,
Then starts he vp in furie great,
and thus begins to rayle:
O palefaced, hellish, lumpish sow,
O grisly ghost, I say,
What ment the hilles they fell not on
my corps that present day
When first I saw that Tigresse vile,
that hart of marble stone,
That traytresse rude, with whom I thinke
my freend is now alone:
O that the heauens might fall on hir
which worketh me this wo:
I hope the earth will swallow hir,
or Boreas he will blo
Away with blasts that Lionesse,
that no man may hir see:
I would the raging foming Seas
they had hir for their fee.
Or that the mightie Iupiter
when he is in his yre,
Might throwe vpon hir thunder boltes,
or els consume with fire
Hir cursed corps, which hath in it
a poyson cankred hart:
Or that the foule infernall feendes
of hir might haue a part.
His host then being neere at hand,
heard him in raging wise,
Who it should be he marueyled,
he could not well deuise:
But vp he goes, where him he founde,
he asked him the cause,
He doth not let, but telleth all,
at it he doth not pause.
Feare not my guest (the good man said)
as yet she is not spead.
Bar.
If that she be, the diuell gnaw
hir beastly carren head.
But ere she be, I loke to haue
a recompense of payne,
And reason willes it so to be,
vnlesse she list to fayne:
But some respect for loue (I thinke)
to haue vnfayned parte,
And thinke it but a fit rewarde
for suche a good desart:
But I vnhappiest wight of all
haue spent my time in vayne,
In hope of succor at hir hands
Whilst other get the gayne.
As thirsty ground doth gape for thirst,
and swalloweth in the shoure,
Euen so do I poore Arpalus,
whom Cupides pangs deuoure,
I till my soyle with greeuous payne,
I lay the seede thereon,
And others come and reape the sheaues,
and laugh when I am gon:
Mine is the troublous winters toyle,
and theirs the sommers gayne,
The haruest falleth vnto his share
that felt no part of payne.
I fast whyle he doth feede apace,
I thirst while he doth drinke,
I mourne whilst he triumphs for ioy,
he swimmes whilst I do sinke:
He gathereth in the hoped gayne,
whilst I the losse endure,
He whole at hart, whilst I my greefe
by no meanes may recure,
He shroudes him selfe in pleasant shade,
I sitte in open sunne,
He leapes as lammes in lustie lays,
I lye as one vndone:
I would but hir enioy at will,
I craue that is debarde,
He hath (I say) who can haue more?
his seruice is preferde.
Thus I procure my wo (alas)
in framing him his ioy,
I seeke for to assalue my sore,
I breede my cheefe annoy.
As sheepe with woll be clad full thicke,
their masters haue the gayne,
And birds do buylde their nests in brakes,
and put them selues to payne,
Yet others haue the fruite you see
when that the birde is hatcht,
The nest remaynes, the birds are gone,
the chickens be dispatcht.
But I thinke it ordaynde in deede
by gryly goddes aboue,
That I should gape whilst others gayne
the guerdon of hir loue:
But sith that womans wicked will
is forgetfull of my wo,
And not the mightie goddes ordeinde
my destny to be so,
Then must I needes complayne apace,
and curse that cruell kinde,
That in requite of my good will
hath shewde hir selfe vnkinde.
But what euer be the cause God knows,
hereafter I intende
To faune on them that faune on me,
to bow when other bend:
This one abuse shall make with speede
me take the better keepe,
On whom I fixe my fansies fast,
with whom I wake or sleepe.

Host.
If so you do you do but well,
it will be for your best,

He sayde no more, but went away,
he lefte alone his guest.
Bernarde le Vayne who when he sawe
that no man coulds discrye
The acte whiche he pretended had,
when no man there was by,
He drewe a glistering blade at once,
he sette it to his harte:
Till he had done that rufull deede,
it dyd not once departe.
This doone, Galfrido he comes home,
a mery man was hee,
Charinas smyling smirkyng lookes
had made him so to bee.
Where when he came in chamber foule
his ioyes were layde asyde,
He sawe his frende lye all for deade,
the blaudy swoorde he spyde,
Which had bereaued him of breath,
the letter there he founde,
He redde it out, when hee had doone
he layde it on the grounde,
He tooke the blade, he after went
in darkenesse for to lye,
Since that his frende was gone afore,
he past not for to die.
When as the host he hearde of this,
hymselfe he went and hoong,
Charina shee from window hye,
hir comely corps she floong.
And Tibine too, when as he he heard
his daughter to be dead,
De stayed not, but with a knyfe
his hungry throate hee fead.
His wife, the mother to the mayde,
she ranne to riuer rounde,
Where as the crue of maryners
that instant tyme shee founde:
Shee tells to them these bloodie broyles
whiche she that tyme did see,
Howe blood, by blood, and death by turnes
in Greece nowe for to bee:
These wordes once spoke, shee leaped in
there shee gaue vp the ghoste.
The Maryners they hoysed vp
theyr sayle and left the coast.
Not twice two leagues they had not gone,
(as many men did thinke,)
But that the shippe vnluckily,
there presently did sinke.
In deepest sea, their graue was made
the louers lye in towne,
Where Tibine hath a place, besides
Charina hath a roome.