University of Virginia Library

At Brentforde on ye west of London
Nigh to a place that called is Syon
Ther dwelt a widow of a holy sort
Honest in substance & full of sport
Daily she could with pastime and Iests
Among her neighbours and her guests
She kept an Inne of right good lodging
For all estates that thither were comming
It chaunced this widow as it is supposed
In her sporte and merily disposed
After her death for a remembrance
Thought to haue some matter of pastance
For people to laughe at in such company
As are disposed for to talke merily
Mingled with many proper scoffes & boords
Of sundry sauntes, with some mery wordes
The which I haue heard at many seasons
Full of pastime with prety reasons
For yf any did a thing ouerthwart
They saide euer ye shall haue a fart
Of Iyll of Brantford for your paine
The which laying oft troubled my brayne
For I neuer knew what the matter was
Nor could the meaning bring to passe
Till at the last vpon a day
I met on Iohn hardlesay
A mery felow in ech company
Which said Copland thou lookest dry
The truthe quod I is as ye say
For I drank not of al this day
And of a short tale to make an end
to the red lyon at the shambles end
We went for to drink good ale
and as he was telling his tale
I offered him for to drink first
Copland quoth he art thou a thirst
And biddeth me afore the to drink
to my iudgement I do think
Of Iyll of Brentforde worthy thou art
by her bequest to haue a fart
And truly now is come to my mynde
not long ago how I did finde
An olde scrow all ragged and rent
beseming it is some mery entent
As diuers say that do it reed
but gallant toyes ther semes indeed
It is Antick, broken/and so raced
that all the cheef is clene defaced
Take it and I pray the hartely
looke theron and if thou espy
That it be of any substance
of mirth or of honest pastaunce
And where thou spiest that it dooth want
or where for lack the matter is scant
Put to it as is according
to the matter in euery thing
Keep it with thee, and take sum payne
the poore mare shall haue his man again

Whan I came home, at leisure
My hart not parfitly at pleasure
For the losse of a certain freend
As God knowes few be to finde
For recreation I it toke
to pas the time theron to loke
And of troth oft in the reding
it did stir me to fall on smiling
Considering the prety pastime
and rydicle order of the rime
The couert termes, vnder a mery sence
shewing of many the blinde insolence
Taunting of things past and to come
where as my self was hit with some
And for that cause I did intend
after this manner to haue it pend
Praying all them that mery be
if it touch them not to blame me