Albions England A Continued Historie of the same Kingdome, from the Originals of the first Inhabitants thereof: With most the chiefe Alterations and Accidents theare hapning, vnto, and in the happie Raigne of our now most gracious Soueraigne, Queene Elizabeth: Not barren in varietie of inuentiue and historicall Intermixtures: First penned and published by William Warner: and now reuised, and newly inlarged by the same Author: Whereunto is also newly added an Epitome of the whole Historie of England |
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CHAP. XLVII.
Albions England |  |
218
CHAP. XLVII.
The Younger of these widdowes (for they both had thrise been so)Trots to the Elders Cottage, hers but little distance fro,
Theare, cowring ore two sticks a-crosse, burnt at a smoakie Stocke,
They chat how Young-men them in youth, & they did young-men mocke,
And how since three-score yeeres a-goe (they aged foure-score now)
Men, women, and the world, weare chang'd in all, they knew not how.
When we were Maids (quoth th' one of them) was no such new-found pride,
Yeat seru'd I Gentles, seeing store of daintie Girles beside.
Then wore they Shooes of ease, now of an inch-broad, corked hye:
Blacke karsie stockings, worsted now, yea silke of youthful'st dye:
Garters of Lystes, but now of silke, some edged deepe with gold:
With costlier toyes, for courser turnes than vs'd, perhaps, of old.
Fring'd and ymbroidred Petticoats now begge: But heard you nam'd,
Till now of late, Busks, Perrewigs, Maskes, Plumes of feathers fram'd,
Supporters, Pooters, Fardingales aboue the Loynes to waire,
That be she near so bombe-thin, yet she crosse-like seem's four-squaire:
Some Wiues, grayheaded, shame not lockes of youthfull borrowed haire:
Some, tyring Arte, attier their heads with onely Tresses baire:
Some (grosser pride than which, thinke I, no passed Age might shame)
By Arte, abusing Nature, heads of antick't hayre do fram.
Once lack't each foresaid Tearme, because was lacking once the toy,
And lack't we all those Toyes and Tearmes it were no griefe but ioy:
But lawfull weare it some be such, should all alike be coy?
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On Holly-dayes (for sildome els such ydell times we got)
A Tubb or Paile of water cleere stood vs in steede of Glas:
And yeat (which still I beare in mind) for it I schooled was,
Euen by an holy Fryer: Thus, quoth he, it comes to pas,
Yong Damsels, and too oftentimes old Dotards, vnawaer,
Doe thus offend, whilst thus they seeme vpon themselues to staer:
But what they see is not themselues. A tayle then did he tell
How Eccho and Narcissus weare aucthorised from Hell,
That egging & This acting pride in Worldlings hearts to dwell:
And either oft in Mirrors and in Waters beautious seeme,
To curious Gazers inn, who those to be themselues do deeme:
Flye glas and water-tooting, Girle, Narcissus fall extreeme,
Feare flattrie too, for Men to Maides be Ecchos to subdewe,
The Fryer sayd, and all to soone I found his sayings trewe.
My Parents they weare wealthy, and my selfe in wanton youth
Was fayre enough, but proude enough, so Foole-enough in truth.
I might haue had good Husbands, which my desteny withstood:
Of three now dead (ah, griefe is drye, Gossyp, this Ale is good)
In faith not one of them was so: for by this drinke I sweare,
(Requarrelling the Cup) we and her lippes vnparted weare,
When th' other Beldamme, great with chat (for talkatiue be Cups)
The formers Prate, nor worth the while, thus fondly interrups.
When I (quoth she) the Countrie left to be a London Las,
I was not fayrer than my selfe beleeued faire I was.
Good God, how formall, prankt, and peart became I in a trice,
As if vnto the Place it weare a Nature to be Nice.
Scarce entred I the Teenes, but that to Wed my will was hot:
Yee that be married, and intend to marrie, well I wor,
The Priest no sooner sayde, but I vpon my tip-toes stand,
As if that Lesson had concernd my selfe, euen out of hand.
The same proportion with my heart my groeth nor age did hold:
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And growing was the greene Disease, which men in Maides doe cure,
When came a Louer, I (for-footh) becomming full demure.
For earst I had obseru'd this Arte, Delay giues men Desier:
Yeat lothe to hurt my haste, and least the Hansel should retyer,
I was not ouer coye, nor he to warme him at my Fier.
I'le blab (for why? for it and more that I in youth did doe,
Long since I passed ghostly shriftes, pennance, and pardons too)
Such match we made, that Maide, nor Wife, nor Widowe left he me,
But with my Maiden-head he crost the Seas, and farewell he,
For from my fault could not, as chan'st, the Somner prole a fee:
My belly did not blab, so I was still a Mayde, and free.
It comfort should in losse to thinke we had not once to lose,
And what we haue as euer to be hild should none suppose:
But not in me this sentence hild, more eagerly than earst
I on the brydell byte, as loath to fast that late did feaste.
Swift gallops tier both man and horse, soone-hot is soone-cold loue,
No Man (I meane, Loue hot as mine) loues as the Turtell Doue,
Then, in good soothe, a Sott is she that cog'd with cannot cogge,
As readily my Loue did gad, as did my Louer iogge.
Tush, in those times weare no such toyes as Gagate stones to trie,
By foysting them in Potions, if a Maide had trode awrie:
But this was rather currant, yea each holy Fathers lore,
That therefore Nature sweetneth Loue that it the world might store.
Which made me thinke it then a sinne (so tender hearted I,)
Beloued not to Loue againe, indangring men to die,
For so they swore they would, nor then beleeu'd I men would lye,
Whom now I know Camelions whil'st to pray on vs they plye.
Yeat better times were those than these for our auayle, for why?
Euen for good-fellowship at least then went they roundly to it,
Now eare they loue (if euer loue) sententiously they doe it:
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But he that loues for onely Loue doth reason quite forgit,
Say men, and article the Matchlesse by trew Loue than Wit.
Vngratefull men, what would yee more than Loue for Loue, than we
Be close, neate, bountious, bucksome, and our bodies Masters yee?
Too curious, pettish, ielous, too imperious, too vnstable
Are Men, say Women: but to beat such fooles with their own bable,
As when that I was yoong, our Sex is now, troe I, as able.
Old doting Foole, one foote in graue, what prattle I of youth,
Contrition, not Shrift-pennance cure, if preach our Vicar truth?
Heere, after little pause, they prate confusedly, I wot,
Whose talke had often ended, had the Period been the Pot.
They tould how forward Maidens weare, how proude if in request,
How brybed, praysed, promisd fayre, men baddest out the best:
They talked of a widowes teares, her haste againe to weade,
He gone forgot, his Orphant wrong'd, she spoyld, an Vnthrist speade:
They talk't of times when Beastes could speake, of Foxes, and of Apes,
Much needles prattel, what through Drinke and Dotage, them escapes.
Yeat Ecchos and Narcissus Voice and Shadowe (now as then,
Working against humilitie, of wants the worst in men)
Caus'd them as thus ro vse their prate, and me of this my pen:
To these next haughtie Follies too those Furies say Amen.
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CHAP. XLVII.
Albions England | |