University of Virginia Library



Fooles and Flattering Maple-faces

You whome the Lord with wit hath so endued,
With knowledge and perfection of skill:
Yet for the want of grace it is eschewed,
Folly embraced, hauing wit at will,
Amongst the wise th'art holden as a scoffe,
To make thy selfe a foole and others laugh.
Th'art faine like Gnato, as a fawning Curre,
To flatter and to sooth men for thy liuing:
Vp holding them in each Contrarie word,
Beit trew or false thy sentence thou art giuing.
A flatring and deceitfull tongue, and lying,
Dispise their owne good, others th'are envying.
Thou like a foole with coxcome, motley coat,
Ladle and pudding and a thousand toyes:
Goest like a cokes an noddy and a sot,
Derided by a hundred little boyes.
O tis a proper sight to see your person,
In all your foolish robes and flattring fashion,
Come let me see how finely you can flatter,
To saue your Pakes and shoulder from the whip:
Your sides wil quake, your butocks they wil clatter
When you shall feele the smart, I know youl skip
Out of coxecomes coat, and leaue your ladell,
The whipp for such a fooles afitter bable.